Beiriit is one of the missionary centres for the revival of Bible Christianity in Bible lands. Among the chief instrumentalities for the development of this city are the benevolent and literary institutions founded by for- eign missionary zeal. First among them are the Amer- ican Protestant institutions under the care of the Pres- byterian Board of Foreign Missions in New York. They are manned by a noble band of Christian scholars, as Drs. H. H. Jessup, D. Bliss, C. V. A. Van Dyck, G. E. Post, and Profs. James S. Dennis, E. R, Lewis, and Hall. In the year 1877, when Dr. Philip Schaff visited Beirut, a new mission chapel, with a native pastor, had just been opened in the eastern part of the city. There are the American Female Seminary and the printing-press and Bible depositor}^ which sent forth in 1876 no less than 38,450 volumes (or 13,786,980 pages) of Bibles, tracts, and other books, including a series of text-books and juvenile works. There is the "Syrian Protestant College," which is independent of the mission, but grew out of it, and promotes its interest. In 1877 it nimi- bered over 100 jnipils of ditferent creeds and nationali- ties. The college embraces, besides the literary de- partment— Arabic language and literature, mathemat- ics, the natural sciences, the modern languages, and Turkish law and jurisprudence — a medical school, un- der the management of Dr. Post; an observatory, un- der Dr. Van Dyck, who sends daily by telegraph me- teorological observations to the observatory of Constan- tinople; a library, and a museum of natural curiosities. The entire Syrian mission of the American Presbyte- rian Board embraces, according to the statistics of 1879, 29 American missionaries (12 men and 17 women), 3 native pastors, 112 teachers, 15 licensed preachers, 10 other helpers — total force, 140; 12 churches, 716 com- municants, 115 received on profession, 66 preaching- places, and 45 Sunday-schools with 1895 pupils. The principal stations outside of Beirut are Tripoli, Abeih, Sidon, and Zahleh. Besides these flourishing Presby- terian institutions, the schools of ]Mrs. M. Mott. IMiss Jessie Taylor, and the deaconesses of Kaiserswerth de- serve most honorable mention. The Jesuits are also very active in Beirut in the interest of the Roman Cath- olic Church. They are just now issuing a new Arabic translation of the Bible, evidently in opposition to Dr. Van Dyck's translation, which is widely circulated in the East. From Dr. SchafTs work, Throrigh Jiihle Lands, we subjoin the following statistics concerning the
SYRIA
105
SYRIAC
Beirut Schools at the Close op 1S77.
Protestant Schools — Americau, | English, German, and Native., j
Orthodox Greek
Papal (United) Greek
Maronite (Roman Catholic)
SyrI
Jewi.'ih
Jesuit
Sisters of Charity (Roman Catholic).
Sisters of Nazareth
Mohammedan
Total
NO. OF PUPILS.
761
92S 227
820
S(l
12.^
1024
SO.-) 4770
2281 425
1110 340
3042
1353 227 820 SO 125
1024
1110 340 805
8920
Besides Beirftt, we may mention Damascus, the hot- bed of Mohammedan fanaticism. A daily diligence con- nects this place with Beirfit. " It seems a hopeless task," says Dr. Schaflf, "to plant Protestant Christianity in such a place as Damascus. Nevertheless, the thing has been done, and not altogether without result." Since 18-13 the United Presbyterian Church of America and the Presbyterian Church of Ireland have maintained jointly a mission, with a church for converts from Jews and Greek Christian.s, and with schools. The buildings were burned during the massacre of 18G0, but have been sub- stantially rebuilt. The Protestant community tliere is now larger than before the massacre. Worship is con- ducted twice every Sunday in Arabic, and occasionally in English. Besides this Presbyterian mission, there is an Episcopal mission, with a chapel built by the London Society for Promoting Christianity among the Jews. Adjoining the chapel are several fine schoolrooms for boys and girls. Altogether this society employs there a missionary' staff of tive persons. Connected with this societ}' is also a depot, where Bibles and other books, such as the Pilgrim's Progress, are for sale. The mis- sionary operations at Damascus are but small begin- nings; but the time is not far distant when, as Abd-el- Kader prophesied, " the mosques of Damascus will be turned into Christian churches."
From the work recently published by Dr. Schaff, Throiir/h Bible Lands, we extract the following table.
In conclusion, we will mention the fact that the last mission year has been signalized by the establishment of a British protectorate over Syria and all Asiatic Tur- key', and by a new departure in the Syrian Protestant College, in the adoption of the English language as the common medium of instruction. See Anderson, History (if the Missions of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to the Oriental Churches (Bos- ton, 1872-73, 2 vols.); Schaff, Through Bible lAinds (N. Y., 1879); besides the annual reports of the diflferent societies. Some of the publications from the Jesuit press at Beiriit are mentioned in Litei'arischer H andweiser, 1864, p. 209 sq. (B. P.)
Among the most notable missionary efforts in Pales-
tine are the German colonies at Haifa and Jaffa. They belong to a religious society known as " The Temple," which originated among the Pietists of Wiirtemberg, who accept Bengel's theory of the prophecies of the book of Revelation as set forth in his Gnomon of the N. T. In 18()7 an expedition of twelve men, sent out from the parent society at Kirschenhardthof, establish- ed themselves at Semftmeh, near Nazareth, but soon died of malarial fever. On Aug. 6, 1868, another com- pany set out, and, arriving in Palestine in October, sep- arated into two colonies, one settling at Haifa, under the presidency of G. D. Hardegg, and the other at Jaffa, under Christopher Hoffmann. Their object was a re- ligious one, to prepare the Holy Land for Christ's per- sonal coming in the Millennial reign. They purchased land, built houses, and have addressed themselves at once to agriculture. At Jaffa they have two settle- ments— one called Sarova, about two and a half miles north of the town, consisting in 1872 often houses; the second, near the walls of Jaffa, was bought from the sur- viving members of an American colony which came to grief (for this last see Ridgaway, Lord's Land, p. 485), and this settlement included thirteen houses, with a school and a hotel. The Jaffa colony in all numbered in 1872 one hundred men, seventy women, and thirty- five children ; two of the colonists were doctors, and some twenty were mechanics, the rest being farmers. The Haifa colony in 1875 numbered 311, having been lately reinforced by new arrivals from Germany'. Both colonies are well established, having neat and comfort- able houses, and signs of external prosperitj', being en- gaged in various trades and manufactures, as well as farming. They have little influence, however, over the native population and small securitj' for permanence, although for the present fully tolerated by the Turkish authorities and highly respected by their neighbors (see Conder, Tent-Work in Palest, ii, 301 sq.).