,illustration3 ,cover ,,the ,,syrian ,,christ ,,by ,,abraham ,,mitrie ,,rihbany ,,boston ,,and ,,new ,,york ,,houghton ,,mifflin ,,company ,the ,riverside ,press ,cambridge #aiaf ,,copyright1 #aiaf1 ,,by ,,the ,,atlantic ,,monthly ,,company ,,copyright1 #aiaf1 ,,by ,,abraham ,,mitrie ,,rihbany ,,all ,,rights ,,reserved ,published ,october #aiaf v ,,preface ,this little volume is sent forth in the confident hope that it may throw fresh light on the life and teachings of ,christ1 and facilitate for the general public the understanding of the ,bible4 ,as may be readily seen1 from its perusal1 the present work is not intended to be a commentary on the ,bible1 nor even an exhaustive study of the subject with which it deals4 ,that it leaves many things to be desired is very evident to the author1 who fears that his book will be remembered by its readers more by the things it lacks than by the things it contains4 ,yet1 from the cordial reception with which the opening chapters of this publication 7which made their first appearance in the ,atlantic ,monthly7 met from readers1 of various religious affiliations1 the author has been encouraged to believe that his aim has not only been clearly vi discerned1 but thoroughly approved4 ,the books which undertake the systematic expounding of the ,scriptures are a host which no man can number1 nor is there any lack of spiritual lessons drawn from the ,bible4 ,therefore1 as one of the ,master's fellow countrymen1 and one who has enjoyed about twenty years of service in the ,american pulpit1 ,i have for several years entertained the growing conviction that such a book as this was really needed4 ,not1 however1 as one more commentary1 but as an ,oriental guide to afford ,occidental readers of the ,bible a more intimate view of the original intellectual and social environment of this sacred literature4 ,so what ,i have to offer here is a series of suggestions1 and not of technically wrought ,bible lessons4 ,the need of the ,western readers of the ,bible is1 in my judgment1 to enter sympathetically and intelligently into the atmosphere in which the books of the ,scriptures first took form3 to have real intellectual1 as well as spiritual1 fellowship with those ,orientals who sought vii earnestly in their own way to give tangible form to those great spiritual truths which have been1 and ever shall be1 humanity's most precious heritage4 ,my task has not been a light one4 ,it is comparatively easy to take isolated ,bible texts and explain them1 treating each passage as a detached unit4 ,but when one undertakes to group a large number of passages which never were intended to be gathered together and treated as the kindred thoughts of an essay1 the task becomes rather difficult4 ,how far ,i have succeeded in my effort to relate the passages ,i have treated in this book to one another according to their intellectual and social affinities1 the reader is in a better position to judge than ,i am4 ,it may not be absolutely necessary for me to say that infallibility cannot justly be ascribed to any author1 nor claimed by him1 even when writing of his own experiences1 and the social environment in which he was born and brought up4 ,however1 in ,yankee1 not in ,oriental1 viii fashion1 ,i will say that to the best of my knowledge the statements contained in this book are correct4 ,finally1 ,i deem it necessary before ,i bring this preface to a close to sound a note of warning4 ,so ,i will say that the ,orientals' extensive use of figurative speech should by no means be allowed to carry the idea that all ,oriental speech is figurative4 ,this manner of speech1 which is common to all races of men1 is only more extensively used by ,orientals than by ,occidentals4 ,i could wish1 however1 that the learned theologians had suspected more strongly the literal accuracy of ,oriental utterances1 and had thus been saved at times from founding a huge doctrinal structure on a figure of speech4 ,notwithstanding all this1 the ,gospel and the ,christian faith still live and bless and cheer the hearts and minds of men4 ,as an ,oriental by birth1 and as an ,american from choice1 ,i feel profoundly grateful that ,i have been enabled to render this modest service to the ,churches of ix ,america1 and to present this book as an offering of love and homage to my ,master1 the ,syrian ,christ4 ,,abraham ,,mitrie ,,rihbany ,,boston1 ,,massachusetts4 xi ,,contents ,,part ,i4 ,,the ,,syrian ,,christ4 ,i4 ,son of the ,east ,,ii4 ,birth of a ,man ,child ,,iii4 ,the ,star ,,iv4 ,mystic ,tones ,v4 ,filial ,obedience ,,vi4 ,feast and ,sacrament ,,vii4 ,the ,last ,scene ,,part ,,ii4 ,the ,oriental ,manner ,of ,speech4 ,i4 ,daily ,language ,,ii4 ,imprecations ,,iii4 ,love of ,enemies ,,iv4 ,the ,unveracious ,oriental ,v4 ,impressions vs4 ,literal ,accuracy ,,vi4 ,speaking in ,parables ,,vii4 ,swearing ,,viii4 ,four ,characteristics xii ,,part ,,iii4 ,,bread ,,and ,,salt ,i4 ,the ,sacred ',aish ,,ii4 ,our ,daily ,bread ,,iii4 ,compel ,them to come in ,,iv4 ,delaying the ,departing ,guest ,v4 ,family ,feasts ,,part ,,iv4 ,,out ,,in ,,the ,,open ,i4 ,shelter and ,home ,,ii4 ,resigned ,travelers ,,iii4 ,the ,market ,place ,,iv4 ,the ,housetop ,v4 ,the ,vineyards and the ,fields ,,vi4 ,the ,shepherd ,,part ,v4 ,,sisters ,,of ,,mary ,,and ,,martha ,i4 ,woman ,east and ,west ,,ii4 ,paul and ,woman ,,iii4 ,jesus and his ,mother ,,iv4 ,a ,gracious ,woman ,,part ,,vi4 ,here and ,there in the ,bible ,index #c ,,part ,i ,,the ,,syrian ,,christ ,,the ,,syrian ,,christ ,,chapter ,i ,,son ,,of ,,the ,,east ,jesus ,christ1 the incarnation of the spirit of ,god1 seer1 teacher of the verities of the spiritual life1 and preacher of the fatherhood of ,god and the brotherhood of man1 is1 in a higher sense1 a man without a country4 ,as a prophet and a seer ,jesus belongs to all races and all ages4 ,wherever the minds of men respond to simple truth1 wherever the hearts of men thrill with pure love1 wherever a temple of religion is dedicated to the worship of ,god and the service of man1 there is ,jesus' country and there are his friends4 ,therefore1 in speaking of ,jesus as the son of a certain country1 ,i do not mean in the least to localize his ,gospel1 or to set bounds and limits to the flow of his spirit and the workings of his love4 ,nor is it my aim in these chapters to imitate #d the astute theologians by wrestling with the problem of ,jesus' personality4 ,to me the secret of personality1 human and divine1 is an impenetrable mystery4 ,my more modest purpose in this writing is to remind the reader that1 whatever else ,jesus was1 as regards his modes of thought and life and his method of teaching1 he was a ,syrian of the ,syrians4 ,according to authentic history ,jesus never saw any other country than ,palestine4 ,there he was born2 there he grew up to manhood1 taught his ,gospel1 and died for it4 ,it is most natural1 then1 that ,gospel truths should have come down to the succeeding generations--and to the nations of the ,west--cast in ,oriental moulds of thought1 and intimately intermingled with the simple domestic and social habits of ,syria4 ,the gold of the ,gospel carries with it the sand and dust of its original home4 ,from the foregoing1 therefore1 it may be seen that my reason for undertaking to throw fresh light on the life and teachings of ,christ1 and #e other portions of the ,bible whose correct understanding depends on accurate knowledge of their original environment1 is not any claim on my part to great learning or a profound insight into the spiritual mysteries of the ,gospel4 ,the real reason is rather an accident of birth4 ,from the fact that ,i was born not far from where the ,master was born1 and brought up under almost the identical conditions under which he lived1 ,i have an inside view of the ,bible which1 by the nature of things1 a ,westerner cannot have4 ,and ,i know that the conditions of life in ,syria of to-day are essentially as they were in the time of ,christ1 not from the study of the mutilated tablets of the archologist and the antiquarian1 precious as such discoveries are1 but from the simple fact that1 as a sojourner in this ,western world1 whenever ,i open my ,bible it reads like a letter from home4 ,its unrestrained effusiveness of expression2 its vivid1 almost flashy and fantastic imagery2 its nave narrations2 the rugged unstudied simplicity of its parables2 its unconventional 7and #f to the more modest ,west rather unseemly7 portrayal of certain human relations2 as well as its all-permeating spiritual mysticism1--so far as these qualities are concerned1 the ,bible might all have been written in my primitive village home1 on the western slopes of ,mount ,lebanon some thirty years ago4 ,nor do ,i mean to assert or even to imply that the ,western world has never succeeded in knowing the mind of ,christ4 ,such an assertion would do violent injustice1 not only to the ,occidental mind1 but to the ,gospel itself as well1 by making it an enigma1 utterly foreign to the native spirituality of the majority of mankind4 ,but what ,i have learned from intimate associations with the ,western mind1 during almost a score of years in the ,american pulpit1 is that1 with the exception of the few specialists1 it is extremely difficult1 if not impossible1 for a people to understand fully a literature which has not sprung from that people's own racial life4 ,as a repository of divine revelation the ,bible knows no geographical limits4 ,its spiritual truths are #g from ,god to man4 ,but as a literature the ,bible is an imported article in the ,western world1 especially in the home of the ,anglo-,saxon race4 ,the language of the ,scriptures1 the mentality and the habits of life which form the setting of their spiritual precepts1 and the mystic atmosphere of those precepts themselves1 have come forth from the soul of a people far removed from the races of the ,west in almost all the modes of its earthly life4 ,you cannot study the life of a people successfully from the outside4 ,you may by so doing succeed in discerning the few fundamental traits of character in their local colors1 and in satisfying your curiosity with surface observations of the general modes of behavior2 but the little things1 the common things1 those subtle connectives in the social vocabulary of a people1 those agencies which are born and not made1 and which give a race its rich distinctiveness1 are bound to elude your grasp4 ,there is so much in the life of a people which a stranger to that people must receive #h by way of unconscious absorption4 ,like a little child1 he must learn so many things by involuntary imitation4 ,an outside observer1 though wise1 is only a photographer4 ,he deals with externals4 ,he can be converted into an artist and portray the life of a race by working from the soul outward1 only through long1 actual1 and sympathetic associations with that race4 ,from the foregoing it may be seen that ,i deem it rather hazardous for a six-weeks tourist in that country to publish a book on the life of ,syria4 ,a first-class camera and an eye to business are hardly sufficient qualifications for the undertaking of such a task4 ,it is very easy1 indeed1 to take a photograph1 but not so easy to relate such a picture to the inner life of a race1 and to know what moral and social forces lie behind such externals4 ,the hasty traveler may easily state what certain modes of thought and life in a strange land mean to him1 but does that necessarily mean that his understanding of such things is also the understanding of the people of that land themselves8 #i ,with the passing of the years1 this thought gains in significance with me1 as a ,syrian immigrant4 ,at about the end of my second year of residence in this country1 ,i felt confident that ,i could write a book on ,america and the ,americans whose accuracy no one could challenge4 ,it was so easy for me to grasp the significance of certain general aspects of ,american life that ,i felt ,i was fully competent to state how the ,american people lived1 what their racial1 political1 and religious tendencies were1 what their idioms of speech meant1 and to interpret their amorous1 martial1 dolorous1 and joyous moods with perfect accuracy and ease4 ,but now1 after a residence of about twenty-four years in ,america--years which ,i have spent in most intimate association with ,americans1 largely of the original stock--,i do not feel half so confident that ,i am qualified to write such a book4 ,the more intimate ,i become with ,american thought1 the deeper ,i penetrate the ,american spirit1 the more enlightened my associations become with ,american fathers1 mothers1 #aj and children in the joys and sorrows of life1 the more fully do ,i realize how extremely difficult1 if not impossible1 it is for one to interpret successfully the life of an alien people before one has actually lived it himself4 ,many ,westerners have written very meritorious books on the thought and life of the ,east4 ,but these are not of the tourist type4 ,such writers have been those who1 first1 had the initial wisdom to realize that the beggars for bakhsheesh in the thoroughfares of ,syrian cities1 and those who hitch a woman with an ox to the plough in some dark recesses of ,palestine1 did not possibly represent the deep soul of that ancient ,east1 which gave birth to the ,bible and to the glorious company of prophets1 apostles1 and saints4 ,second1 such writers knew1 also1 that the fine roots of a people's life do not lie on the surface4 ,such feeders of life are both deep and fine2 not only long residence among a people1 but intimate association and genuine sympathy with them are necessary to reveal to a stranger the hidden #aa meaning of their life4 ,social life1 like biological life1 energizes from within1 and from within it must be studied4 ,and it is those common things of ,syrian life1 so indissolubly interwoven with the spiritual truths of the ,bible1 which cause the ,western readers of holy writ to stumble1 and which rob those truths for them of much of their richness4 ,by sheer force of genius1 the aggressive1 systematic ,anglo-,saxon mind seeks to press into logical unity and creedal uniformity those undesigned1 artless1 and most natural manifestations of ,oriental life1 in order to understand the ,scriptures4 ,yet show ,i unto you a more excellent way1 by personally conducting you into the inner chambers of ,syrian life1 and showing you1 if ,i can1 how simple it is for a humble fellow countryman of ,christ to understand those social phases of the ,scriptural passages which so greatly puzzle the august minds of the ,west4 #ab ,,chapter ,,ii ,,birth ,,of ,a ,,man ,,child ,in the ,gospel story of ,jesus' life there is not a single incident that is not in perfect harmony with the prevailing modes of thought and the current speech of the land of its origin4 ,i do not know how many times ,i heard it stated in my native land and at our own fireside that heavenly messengers in the forms of patron saints or angels came to pious1 childless wives1 in dreams and visions1 and cheered them with the promise of maternity4 ,it was nothing uncommon for such women to spend a whole night in a shrine wrestling in prayer1 either with the blessed ,virgin or some other saint1 for such a divine assurance2 and ,i remember a few of my own kindred to have done so4 ,perhaps the most romantic religious practice in this connection is the zeara4 ,interpreted literally1 the word zeara means simply a visit4 ,in its social use it is the equivalent of #ac a call of long or short duration4 ,but religiously the zeara means a pilgrimage to a shrine4 ,however1 strictly speaking1 the word pilgrimage means to the ,syrians a journey of great religious significance whose supreme purpose is the securing of a blessing for the pilgrim1 with no reference to a special need4 ,the zeara is a pilgrimage with a specific purpose4 ,the zayir 7visitor to a shrine7 comes seeking either to be healed of a certain ailment1 to atone for a sin1 or to be divinely helped in some other way4 ,unlike a pilgrimage also1 a zeara may be made by one person in behalf of another4 ,when1 for example1 a person is too ill to travel1 or is indifferent to a spiritual need which such a visit is supposed to fill1 his parents or other close friends may make a zeara in his behalf4 ,but much more often a zeara is undertaken by women for the purpose of securing the blessing of fecundity1 or consecrating an approaching issue of wedlock 7if it should prove to be a male7 to ,god1 and to the patron saint of the visited sanctuary4 #ad ,again the word pilgrimage is used only to describe a visit by a ,christian to ,jerusalem1 or by a ,mohammedan to ,mecca1 while the zeara describes a visit to any one of the lesser shrines4 ,the happy journey is often made on foot1 the parties most concerned walking all the way on the flesh of their feet2 that is1 with neither shoes nor sandals on4 ,this great sacrifice is made as a mark of sincere humility which is deemed to be pleasing to ,god and his holy saints4 ,however1 the wearing of shoes and even the use of mounts is not considered a sinful practice on such occasions1 and is indulged in by many of the well-to-do families4 ,the state of the heart is1 of course1 the chief thing to be considered4 ,in the fourth chapter of the ,second ,book of ,kings we are told that the ,shunammite woman used an ass when she sought ,elisha to restore her dead son to her4 ,in the twenty-second verse 7the ,revised ,version71 we are told1 ,and she called unto her husband1 and said1 #ae ,send me1 ,i pray thee1 one of the servants1 and one of the asses1 that ,i may run to the man of ,god1 and come again4444 ,then she saddled an ass1 and said to her servant1 ,drive1 and go forward2 slacken me not the riding1 except ,i bid thee4 ,so she went1 and came unto the man of ,god to mount ,carmel4 ,fasting and prayer on the way are often pronounced phases of a zeara4 ,however1 wine-drinking by the men in the company and noisy gayety are not deemed altogether incompatible with the solemnity of the occasion4 ,the pious visitors carry with them presents to the abbot and to the monks who serve the shrine4 ,a silver or even gold candlestick1 or a crown of either metal for the saint1 is also carried to the altar4 ,the young mother in whose behalf the zeara is undertaken is tenderly cared for by every member of the party4 ,she is the chosen vessel of the ,lord4 ,the zwar 7visitors7 remain at the holy shrine for one or two nights1 or until the presence is revealed2 that is1 until the saint #af manifests himself4 ,the prayerfully longed-for manifestation comes almost invariably in a dream1 either to the mother or some other worthy in the party4 ,how like the story of ,joseph all this is6 ,in the first chapter of ,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel1 the twentieth verse1 it is said of ,joseph1 ,but while he thought on these things1 behold1 the angel of the ,lord appeared unto him in a dream1 saying1 ,joseph1 thou son of ,david1 fear not to take unto thee ,mary thy wife3 for that which is conceived in her is of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and she shall bring forth a son1 and thou shalt call his name ,jesus2 for he shall save his people from their sins4 ,in this manner the promise is made to the waiting mother1 who keeps these things1 and ponders them in her heart4 ,the promise thus secured1 the mother and the father vow that the child shall be a nedher2 that is1 consecrated to the saint who made the promise to the mother4 ,the vow may mean one of several things4 ,either that a sum of #ag money be given to the saint upon the advent of the child1 or that the child be carried to the same sanctuary on another zeara with gifts1 and so forth1 or that his hair will not be cut until he is seven years old1 and then cut for the first time before the image of his patron saint at the shrine1 or some other act of pious fulfillment4 ,the last form of a vow1 the consecration of the hair of the head for a certain period1 is practiced by men of all ages4 ,the vow is made as a petition for healing from a serious illness1 rescue from danger1 or purely as an act of consecration4 ,in the eighteenth chapter of the ,book of ,acts1 the eighteenth verse1 we have the statement3 ,and ,paul after this tarried there yet a good while1 and then took his leave of the brethren1 and sailed thence into ,syria1 and with him ,priscilla and ,aquila2 having shorn his head in ,cenchrea3 for he had a vow4 ,it was also in connection with this practice that ,paul was induced by the brethren at ,jerusalem to make a compromise which cost him dearly4 #ah ,in the twenty-first chapter of ,acts1 the twenty-third verse1 we are told that those brethren said to ,paul1 ,we have four men who have a vow on them2 them take1 and purify thyself with them1 and be at charges for them1 that they may shave their heads4 ,the last service of this kind which ,i attended in ,syria was for a cousin of mine1 a boy of twelve1 who was a nedher1 or as the word is rendered in the ,english ,bible1 a ,nazarite4 ,we assembled in the church of ,st4 ,george of ,sk4 ,the occasion was very solemn4 ,a mass was celebrated after the order of the ,greek ,orthodox ,church4 ,near the close of the service the tender lad was brought by his parents in front of the ,royal ,door at the altar4 ,while repeating a prayer1 the priest cut the hair on the crown of the boy's head with the scissors1 in the shape of a cross4 ,the simple act released the child and his parents of their solemn vow4 ,twentieth-century culture is prone to call all such practices superstitions4 ,so they are to a large extent4 ,but ,i deem it the higher #ai duty of this culture to interpret sympathetically rather than to condemn superstition in a sweeping fashion4 ,i am a lover of a rational theology and a reasonable faith1 but ,i feel that in our enthusiasm for such a theology and such a faith we often fail to appreciate the deep spiritual longing which is expressed in superstitious forms of worship4 ,what is there in such religious practices as those ,i have mentioned but the expression of the heart-burning of those parents for the spiritual welfare and security of their children8 ,what do we find here but evidences of a deep and sincere yearning for divine blessings to come upon the family and the home8 ,thoughts of ,god at the marriage altar2 thoughts of ,god when the promise of parenthood becomes evident2 thoughts of ,god when a child comes into the world2 thoughts of ,god and of his holy prophets and saints as friends and companions in all the changes and chances of the world4 ,here the challenge to modern rationalism is not to content itself with rebuking superstitions1 but to give #bj the world deeper spiritual visions than those which superstitions reveal1 and to compass childhood and youth by the gracious presence of the living ,god4 ,in a most literal sense we always understood the saying of the psalmist1 ,children are a heritage from the ,lord4 ,above and beyond all natural agencies1 it was ,he who turned barrenness to fecundity and worked the miracle of birth4 ,to us every birth was miraculous1 and childlessness an evidence of divine disfavor4 ,from this it may be inferred how tenderly and reverently agreeable to the ,syrian ear is the angel's salutation to ,mary1 ,hail1 thou that art highly favored1 the ,lord is with thee2 blessed art thou among women6--,behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son4#a ,a miracle8 ,yes4 ,but a miracle means one thing to your ,western science1 which seeks to know what nature is and does by dealing with secondary causes1 and quite another thing to #ba an ,oriental1 to whom ,god's will is the law and gospel of nature4 ,in times of intellectual trouble this man takes refuge in his all-embracing faith1--the faith that to ,god all things are possible4 ,the ,oriental does not try to meet an assault upon his belief in miracles by seeking to establish the historicity of concrete reports of miracles4 ,his poetical1 mystical temperament seeks its ends in another way4 ,relying upon his fundamental faith in the omnipotence of ,god1 he throws the burden of proof upon his assailant by challenging him to substantiate his denial of the miracles4 ,so did ,paul 7in the twenty-sixth chapter of the ,book of ,acts7 put his opponents at a great disadvantage by asking1 ,why should it be thought a thing incredible with you1 that ,god should raise the dead8 ,but the story of ,jesus' birth and kindred ,bible records disclose not only the predisposition of the ,syrian mind to accept miracles as divine acts1 without critical examination1 but #bb also its attitude toward conception and birth1--an attitude which differs fundamentally from that of the ,anglo-,saxon mind4 ,with the feeling of one who has been reminded of having ignorantly committed an improper act1 ,i remember the time when kind ,american friends admonished me not to read from the pulpit such scriptural passages as detailed the accounts of conception and birth1 but only to allude to them in a general way4 ,i learned in a very short time to obey the kindly advice1 but it was a long time before ,i could swing my psychology around and understand why in ,america such narratives were so greatly modified in transmission4 ,the very fact that such stories are found in the ,bible shows that in my native land no such sifting of these narratives is ever undertaken when they are read to the people4 ,from childhood ,i had been accustomed to hear them read at our church1 related at the fireside1 and discussed reverently by men and women at all times and places4 ,there is nothing in the #bc phraseology of such statements which is not in perfect harmony with the common1 everyday speech of my people4 ,to the ,syrians1 as ,i say1 children are a heritage from the ,lord4 ,from the days of ,israel to the present time1 barrenness has been looked upon as a sign of divine disfavor1 an intolerable calamity4 ,rachel's cry1 ,give me children1 or else ,i die1#b does not exaggerate the agony of a childless ,syrian wife4 ,when ,rebecca was about to depart from her father's house to become ,isaac's wife1 her mother's ardent and effusively expressed wish for her was1 ,be thou the mother of thousands of millions4#c ,this mother's last message to her daughter was not spoken in a corner4 ,i can see her following the bride to the door1 lifting her open palms and turning her face toward heaven1 and making her affectionate petition in the hearing of a multitude of guests1 who must have echoed her words in chorus4 ,in the congratulations of guests at a #bd marriage feast the central wish for the bridegroom and bride is invariably thus expressed3 ,may you be happy1 live long1 and have many children6 ,and what contrasts very sharply with the ,american reticence in such matters is the fact that shortly after the wedding1 the friends of the young couple1 both men and women1 begin to ask them about their prospects for an heir4 ,no more does a prospective mother undertake in any way to disguise the signs of the approaching event1 than an ,american lady to conceal her engagement ring4 ,much mirth is enjoyed in such cases1 also1 when friends and neighbors1 by consulting the stars1 or computing the number of letters in the names of the parents and the month in which the miracle of conception is supposed to have occurred1 undertake to foretell whether the promised offspring will be a son or a daughter4 ,in that part of the country where ,i was brought up1 such wise prognosticators believed1 and made us all believe1 that if the calculations resulted in an odd number the birth would be a son1 but #be if in an even number1 a daughter1 which1 as a rule1 is not considered so desirable4 ,back of all these social traits1 and beyond the free realism of the ,syrian in speaking of conception and birth1 lies a deeper fact4 ,to ,eastern peoples1 especially the ,semites1 reproduction in all the world of life is profoundly sacred4 ,it is ,god's life reproducing itself in the life of man and in the living world below man2 therefore the evidences of this reproduction should be looked upon and spoken of with rejoicing4 ,notwithstanding the many and fundamental intellectual changes which ,i have undergone in this country of my adoption1 ,i count as among the most precious memories of my childhood my going with my father to the vineyard1 just as the vines began to come out1 and hearing him say as he touched the swelling buds1 ,blessed be the ,creator4 ,he is the ,supreme ,giver4 ,may ,he protect the blessed increase4 ,of this ,i almost always think when ,i read the words of the psalmist1 ,the earth is the ,lord's and the fullness thereof6 #bf ,now ,i do not feel at all inclined to say whether the undisguised realism of the ,orientals in speaking of reproduction is better than the delicate reserve of the ,anglo-,saxons4 ,in fact1 ,i have been so reconstructed under ,anglo-,saxon auspices as to feel that the excessive reserve of this race with regard to such things is not a serious fault1 but rather the defect of a great virtue4 ,my purpose is to show that the unreconstructed ,oriental1 to whom reproduction is the most sublime manifestation of ,god's life1 cannot see why one should be ashamed to speak anywhere in the world of the fruits of wedlock1 of a woman with child4 ,one might as well be ashamed to speak of the creative power as it reveals itself in the gardens of roses and the fruiting trees4 ,here we have the background of the stories of ,sarah1 when the angel-guest prophesied fecundity for her in her old age2 of ,rebecca1 and the wish of her mother for her1 that she might become the mother of thousands2 of ,elizabeth1 when the babe leaped in her womb1 #bg as she saw her cousin ,mary2 and of the declaration of the angel to ,joseph's spouse2 ,thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son4 ,here it is explained1 also1 why upon the birth of a man-child1 well-wishers troop into the house1--even on the very day of birth1--bring their presents1 and congratulate the parents on the divine gift to them4 ,it was because of this custom that those strangers1 the three ,wise ,men and ,magi of the ,far ,east1 were permitted to come in and see the little ,galilean family1 while the mother was yet in childbed4 ,so runs the ,gospel narrative3 ,and when they were come into the house1 they saw the young child with ,mary his mother1 and fell down and worshipped him3 and when they had opened their treasures1 they presented unto him gifts1--gold1 frankincense1 and myrrh4#d ,so also were the humble shepherds privileged to see the wondrous child shortly after birth4 ,and it came to pass1 as the angels were gone away from them into heaven1 the #bh shepherds said one to another1 ,let us now go to ,bethlehem1 and see this thing which is come to pass1 which the ,lord hath made known unto us4 ,and they came with haste1 and found ,mary and ,joseph and the babe lying in a manger4#e ,in the twelfth verse of the second chapter of the ,gospel of ,st4 ,luke1 the ,english version says1 ,and this shall be a sign unto you2 ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes1 lying in a manger4 ,here the word clothes is somewhat misleading4 ,the ,arabic version gives a perfect rendering of the fact by saying1 ,ye shall find a swaddled babe1 laid in a manger4 ,according to general ,syrian custom1 in earliest infancy a child is not really clothed1 it is only swaddled4 ,upon birth the infant is washed in tepid water by the midwife1 then salted1 or rubbed gently with salt pulverized in a stone mortar especially for the occasion4 7,the salt commonly used in ,syrian homes is coarse-chipped47 ,next the babe is sprinkled with #bi rehan1--a powder made of dried myrtle leaves1--and then swaddled4 ,the swaddle is a piece of stout cloth about a yard square1 to one corner of which is attached a long narrow band4 ,the infant1 with its arms pressed close to its sides1 and its feet stretched full length and laid close together1 is wrapped in the swaddle1 and the narrow band wound around the little body1 from the shoulders to the ankles1 giving the little one the exact appearance of an ,egyptian mummy4 ,only a few of the good things of this mortal life were more pleasant to me when ,i was a boy than to carry in my arms a swaddled babe4 ,the salted and peppered little creature felt so soft and so light1 and was so appealingly helpless1 that to cuddle it was to me an unspeakable benediction4 ,such was the babe of ,bethlehem that was sought by the ,wise ,men and the shepherds in the wondrous story of the ,nativity4 ,and in describing such ,oriental customs it may be significant to point out that1 in certain #cj localities in ,syria1 to say to a person that he was not salted upon birth is to invite trouble4 ,only a bendq1 or the child of an unrecognized father1 is so neglected4 ,and here may be realized the full meaning of that terrible arraignment of ,jerusalem in the sixteenth chapter of the ,book of ,ezekiel4 ,the ,holy ,city had done iniquity1 and therefore ceased to be the legitimate daughter of ,jehovah4 ,so the prophet cries1 ,the ,lord came unto me1 saying1 ,son of man1 cause ,jerusalem to know her abominations1 and say1 ,thus saith the ,lord ,god unto ,jerusalem2 ,thy birth and thy nativity are of the land of ,canaan2 thy father was an ,amorite1 and thy mother a ,hittite4 ,and as for thy nativity1 in the day thou wast born--neither wast thou washed in water to supple#f thee2 thou wast not salted at all1 nor swaddled at all4 ,no eye pitied thee1 to do any of these things for thee1 to have compassion upon thee2 but thou wast cast out in the open field1 to the loathing of thy person1 in the day thou wast born4 #a ,luke i3 #bh1 #ca4 #b ,gen4 xxx2 #a4 #c ,gen4 xxiv3 #fj4 #d ,matt4 ii3 #aa4 #e ,luke ii3 #ae-af4 #f ,cleanse in the ,revised ,version4 #ca ,,chapter ,,iii ,,the ,,star ,how natural to the thought of the ,east the story of the star of ,bethlehem is6 ,to the ,orientals the heavens declare the glory of ,god1 and the stars reveal many wondrous things to men4 ,they are the messengers of good and evil1 and objects of the loftiest idealization1 as well as of the crudest superstitions4 ,those who have gazed upon the stars in the deep1 clear ,syrian heavens can find no difficulty in entering into the spirit of the majestic strains of the writer of the eighth ,psalm4 ,when ,i consider thy heavens1 says this ancient singer1 the work of thy fingers1 the moon and the stars1 which thou hast ordained2 what is man1 that thou art mindful of him8 and the son of man1 that thou visitest him8 ,deeps beyond deeps are revealed through that dry1 soft1 and clear atmosphere of the land of promise1 yet the constellations seem as near #cb to the beholder as parlor lamps4 ,my soul longeth for the vision of the heavens from the heights of my native ,lebanon1 and the hills of ,palestine4 ,it is no wonder to me that my people have always considered the stars as guides and companions1 and as awe-inspiring manifestations of the ,creator's power1 wisdom1 and glory4 ,the heavens declare the glory of ,god2 and the firmament sheweth his handywork4 ,day unto day uttereth speech and night unto night sheweth knowledge4#a ,so great is the host of the stars seen by the naked eye in that land that the people of ,syria have always likened a great multitude to the stars of heaven or the sand of the sea4 ,of a great assemblage of people we always said1 ,they are methel-ennijoom--like the stars 7in number74 ,so it is written in the twenty-eighth chapter of ,deuteronomy1 the sixty-second verse1 ,and ye shall be left few in number1 whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude2 because thou wouldst not obey the #cc voice of the ,lord thy ,god4 ,according to that great narrative in ,genesis1 ,god promised ,abraham that his progeny would be as the stars in number4 ,in the fifteenth chapter1 the fifth verse1 it is said1 ,and he brought him forth abroad1 and said1 ,look now toward heaven1 and tell the stars1 if thou be able to number them3 and he said unto him1 ,so shall thy seed be4 ,in speaking of the omniscience of ,god the writer of the one hundred and forty-seventh ,psalm says1 ,he telleth the number of the stars2 he calleth them all by their names4 ,great is our ,lord1 and of great power3 his understanding is infinite4 ,but the numberless lights of the firmament were brought even closer to us through the belief that they had vital connection with the lives of men on the earth4 ,i was brought up to believe that every human being had a star in heaven which held the secret of his destiny and which watched over him wherever he went4 ,in speaking of an amiable person it is said1 ,his star is attractive 7nejmo jeddeeb74 ,persons #cd love one another when their stars are in harmony4 ,a person is in unfavorable circumstances when his star is in the sphere of misfortune 7nehiss71 and so forth4 ,the stars indicated the time to us when we were traveling by night1 marked the seasons1 and thus fulfilled their ,creator's purpose by serving for signs1 and for seasons1 and for days and years4 ,in every community we had star-gazers who could tell each person's star4 ,we placed much confidence in such mysterious men1 who could arrest an absent person's star in its course and learn from it whether it was well or ill with the absent one4 ,like a remote dream1 it comes to me that as a child of about ten ,i went out one night with my mother to seek a star-gazer to locate my father's star and question the shining orb about him4 ,my father had been away from home for some time1 and owing to the meagerness of the means of communication in that country1 especially in those days1 we had no news of him at all4 ,during that afternoon #ce my mother said that she felt heavy-hearted for no reason that she knew2 therefore she feared that some ill must have befallen the head of our household1 and sought to know whether her fear was well grounded4 ,the star-arrester1 leaning against an aged mulberry tree1 turned his eyes toward the stellar world1 while his lips moved rapidly and silently as if he were repeating words of awful import4 ,presently he said1 ,i see him4 ,he is sitting on a cushion1 leaning against the wall and smoking his narghile4 ,there are others with him1 and he is in his usual health4 ,the man took pains to point out the star to my mother1 who1 after much sympathetic effort1 felt constrained to say that she did see what the star-gazer claimed he saw4 ,but at any rate1 mother declared that she was no longer heavy-hearted4 ,in my most keen eagerness to see my father and his narghile in the star1 at least for mere intellectual delight1 ,i clung to the arm of the reader of the heavens like a frightened kitten1 #cf and insisted upon seeing4 ,the harder he tried to shake me off1 the deeper did my organs of apprehension sink into his sleeve4 ,at last the combined efforts of my mother and the heir of the ancient astrologers forced me to believe that ,i was too young to behold such sights4 ,it was the excessive leaning of his people upon such practices that led ,isaiah to cry1 ,thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels4 ,let now the astrologers1 the star-gazers1 the monthly prognosticators1 stand up and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee4 ,behold1 they shall be as stubble2 the fire shall burn them2 they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flames4 ,beyond all such crudities1 however1 lies the sublime and sustaining belief that the stars are alive with ,god4 ,the lofty strains of such scriptural passages as the nineteenth ,psalm and the beautiful story of the star of ,bethlehem1 indicate that to the ,oriental mind the hosts of heaven are no mere masses of dust1 #cg but the agencies of the ,creator's might and love4 ,so the narrative of the ,nativity in our ,gospel sublimates the beliefs of the ,orientals about ,god's purpose in those lights of the firmament1 by making the guide of the ,wise ,men to the birthplace of the ,prince of ,peace a great star1 whose pure and serene light symbolized the peace and holiness which1 in the fullness of time1 his kingdom shall bring upon the earth4 ,the presentation of a child at the temple1 or the admittance of an infant into the ,church1 is one of the most tender1 most beautiful1 and most impressive services of my ,mother ,church--the ,greek ,orthodox4#b ,it is held for every child born within that fold1 in commemoration of the presentation of ,jesus at the temple in ,jerusalem4 ,as ,luke tells us 7#aa3bb71 ,and when the days of her purification according to the law of ,moses were accomplished1 they brought him to ,jerusalem1 to present him to the ,lord4 #ch ,the purification period according to the law of ,moses is forty days4#c ,until this is accomplished1 the mother is not permitted to enter into the house of worship4 ,as a general rule the baptismal service1 which takes place any time between the eighth day and the fortieth day after birth1 is held at the home4 ,on the first ,sabbath day after the forty days1 the mother carries the infant to the door of the church during mass1 where the robed priest1 who has been previously applied to for the sacred rite1 meets the mother and receives the child in his arms4 ,after making the sign of the cross with the child at the door1 the priest says1 ,now enters the servant of ,god naming the child into the ,holy ,church1 in the name of the ,father1 and the ,son1 and the ,holy ,ghost4 ,amen4 ,then the priest walks into the church with the child1 saying1 in its behalf1 ,i will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy3 and in thy fear will ,i worship toward thy holy temple4#d ,as he #ci approaches the center of the church1 he says again1 ,now enters the servant of ,god1 etc4 ,then standing in the center of the church1 and surrounded by the reverently silent congregation1 the priest says again1 in behalf of the child1 ,in the midst of the congregation will ,i praise thee1 ,o ,lord4#e ,again1 in front of the ,royal ,gate 7the central door in the anastasis1 or partition which screens the altar from the congregation7 the priest says for the third time1 ,now enters the servant of ,god1 etc4 ,after this the priest carries the infant through the north door1 which is to the left of the ,royal ,gate1 into the mizbeh1 which corresponds to the holy place in the ancient temple4 ,here he walks around the maideh 7altar of sacrifice71 makes the sign of the cross with the child1 and walks out into the midst of the congregation1 through the south door4 ,in this position the priest utters as his final petition the words of the aged ,simeon 7,luke #aa3bi71 ,lord1 now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace1 #dj according to thy word3 for mine eyes have seen thy salvation1 which thou hast prepared before the face of all people2 a light to lighten the gentiles1 and the glory of thy people ,israel4 ,then he delivers the child back to its mother4 ,female children are presented in front of the ,royal ,gate1 but are not admitted into the mizbeh4 #a ,ps4 xix3 #a-b4 #b ,see the author's autobiography1 ,a ,far ,journey1 p4 #d4 #c ,lev4 xii3 #b-d4 #d ,ps4 v3 #g4 #e ,ps4 xx3 #bb4 #da ,,chapter ,,iv ,,mystic ,,tones ,i love to listen to the mystic tones of the ,christmas carol4 ,the story of the star of ,bethlehem is the medium of transmission of those deeper strains which have come into the world through the soul of that ancient ,east4 ,i love to mingle with the social joys of the ,christmas season and its spirit of good-will1 the mystic accents of the ancient seers who expressed in the rich narratives of the ,new ,testament the deepest and dearest hopes of the soul4 ,i leave most respectfully to the ,biblical critic the task of assigning to the narrative of the ,nativity its rightful place in the history of the ,new ,testament4 ,my deep interest in this story centers in those spiritual ideals it reveals1 which have through the ages exercised such beneficent influences over the minds of men4 ,and ,i believe that both as a ,christian #db and as an ,oriental1 ,i have a perfect right to be a mystic1 after the wholesome ,new ,testament fashion4 ,in the second chapter of ,st4 ,luke's ,gospel the story of the ,nativity is presented in a most exquisite poetical form4 ,the vision of humble shepherds1 wise men1 and angels1 mingling together in the joy of a new divine revelation1 could have been caught only by a deep-visioned spiritual artist4 ,had this fragment of religious literature been discovered in this year of #aiaf1 its appearance would have marked a significant epoch in the history of religion4 ,it is the expression of a sublime and passionate desire of the soul for divine companionship and for infinite peace4 ,and there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field1 keeping watch over their flocks by night4 ,and1 lo1 the angel of the ,lord came upon them1 and the glory of the ,lord shone round about them3 and they were sore afraid4 ,and the angel said unto them1 ,fear not2 #dc for1 behold1 ,i bring you good tidings of great joy1 which shall be to all people4 ,for unto you is born this day in the city of ,david a ,savior1 which is ,christ the ,lord4 ,and this shall be a sign unto you2 ,ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes1 lying in a manger4 ,and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising ,god1 and saying1 ,glory to ,god in the highest1 and on earth peace1 good will toward men4 ,when the angel delivered his message to the effect that ,god had visited his people in the person of the new-born ,christ1 then the humble1 unlettered shepherds heard the heavenly song1 which gave ,god the glory1 and prophesied peace and good-will for all mankind4 ,could there be anything more profoundly and accurately interpretative of the deepest hopes of the human soul than this picture8 ,even the uncouth shepherds1 being living souls1 could realize that when the divine and the #dd human met heaven and earth became one1 and peace and good-will prevailed among men4 ,what encouragement1 what hope this vision holds out even to the humblest among men6 ,what assurance that heaven with all its treasures of peace and love is so near to our dust6 ,and the angel said unto them1 ,fear not3 for1 behold1 ,i bring you glad tidings4 ,the shepherds looked up to heaven through the eyes of all mankind4 ,it was the upward look of a world-old hope4 ,no soul ever looked up to heaven with different results4 ,the divine response always is1 ,fear not1 for ,i bring you good tidings6 ,no soul ever needs to dwell in doubt and fear4 ,no soul ever needs to be lonely and forlorn4 ,heaven has nothing for us but good tidings of great joy4 ,the higher powers are near at hand1 and the soul of man may have invisible companions4 ,again we learn from this ,new ,testament passage that in the visit of the shepherds and the ,wise ,men to the holy child both were equally blest4 ,both those who were steeped #de in the wisdom of that ancient ,east and the simple-minded sons of the desert stood at the shrine of a holy personality as naked souls1 divested of all artificial human distinctions4 ,there were no assigned pews in that little shrine4 ,all those who came into it by way of the heart received a blessing1 and went away praising ,god4 ,here we have a foregleam of that longed-for kingdom of ,god--the home of all aspiring and seeking souls1 regardless of rank and station4 ,there is no great and no small ,to the soul that maketh all3 ,and where it cometh1 all things are2 ,and it cometh everywhere4 ,the ,christmas carol is dear to the human heart because it is a song of spiritual optimism4 ,to pessimism the heavens are closed and silent2 the world has no windows opening toward the ,infinite4 ,pessimism cannot sing because it has no hope1 and cannot pray because it has no faith4 ,and ,i deem it essential at this point to ask1 #df ,whither is the spirit of the present age leading us8 ,are we drifting away from the mount of vision8 ,there seems to be but little room in this vast and complex life of ours for spiritual dreams and visions4 ,the combination of our commercial activities and the never-ceasing whir of the wheels of our industries close up our senses to the intimate whisperings of the divine spirit4 ,we see1 but with the outward eye4 ,we hear1 but with the outward ear4 ,our inward senses are in grave danger of dying altogether from lack of exercise4 ,the things of this life are too much with us1 and they render us oblivious to the gracious beckonings of the higher world4 ,let not the lesser interests of this life close our hearing to the angel-song which never dies upon the air4 ,the star of hope never sets1 and ,god's revelations are from everlasting to everlasting4 #dg ,,chapter ,v ,,filial ,,obedience ,of ,jesus' life between the period spoken of in the narrative of the ,nativity and the time when he appeared on the banks of the ,jordan1 seeking to be baptized by ,john1 the ,new ,testament says nothing4 ,one single incident only is mentioned4 ,when twelve years old1 the boy ,jesus went with his parents on a pilgrimage to ,jerusalem4 ,annual pilgrimages to the great shrines are still very common in ,syria4 ,the ,mohammedans go to ,mecca1 the ,christians and the ,jews to ,jerusalem4 ,but there are many other and more accessible sanctuaries which are frequented by the faithful in all those communions4 ,however1 a visit to any other sanctuary than ,jerusalem and ,mecca is called zeara1 rather than a pilgrimage4#a ,the simple record of ,jesus' pilgrimage to ,jerusalem with his parents is that of a typical #dh experience4 ,in writing about it ,i seem to myself to be giving a personal reminiscence4 ,in the second chapter of the ,gospel of ,luke1 the forty-first verse1 it is said3 ,now his parents went to ,jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover4 ,and when he was twelve years old1 they went up to ,jerusalem after the custom of the feast4 ,and when they had fulfilled the days1 as they returned1 the child ,jesus tarried behind in ,jerusalem2 and ,joseph and his mother knew not of it4 ,but they1 supposing him to have been in the company1 went a day's journey2 and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance4 ,and when they found him not1 they turned back again to ,jerusalem1 seeking him4 ,in ,syria male children are taken on a pilgrimage or zeara1 and thus permitted to receive the blessing1 which this pious act is supposed to bring upon them1 as soon as they are able to make the journey4 ,full maturity is no essential condition4 ,i went with my parents on two zearas before ,i was fifteen4 ,at the #di present time there is no definite rule1 at least among ,christians1 as to how many days should be spent at a sanctuary4 ,pilgrims usually vow to stay a certain number of days4 ,in ancient ,judaism1 the feast of the passover occupied eight days1 and it was that number of days which ,mary and ,joseph fulfilled4 ,according to ,luke1 on their return journey to ,nazareth ,jesus' parents went a day's journey before they discovered that he was not with them4 ,this phase of the story seems to have greatly puzzled the good old commentator1 ,adam ,clarke4 ,knowing what a treasure they possessed1 he observes1 how could they be so long without looking on it8 ,where were the bowels and tender solicitude of the mother8 ,let them answer this question who can4 ,clarke did not need to be so perplexed or so mystified4 ,for one who knows the customs of the ,syrians while on religious pilgrimages knows also that the experience of the holy family was not at all a strange one4 ,the whole mystery is cleared up in the saying1 #ej ,and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance4 ,kinsfolk and acquaintances travel in large groups1 and the young pilgrims1 such as the twelve-year-old ,jesus1 are considered safe so long as they keep in close touch with the company4 ,on such journeys1 parents may not see their sons for hours at a time4 ,the homogeneous character of the group1 and the sense of security which faith gives1 especially at such times1 present no occasion for anxiety concerning the dear ones4 ,the saying of ,luke that ,joseph and ,mary went a day's journey before they discovered that ,jesus was not in the company must1 it seems to me1 include also the time consumed in their return journey to ,jerusalem to seek their son4 ,perhaps they discovered his absence about noontime when the company halted by a spring of water to partake of the zad 7food for the way74 ,at such a time families gather together to break bread4 ,and what ,i feel certain of also is that the boy ,jesus must have been with his parents when they first #ea set out on their homeward journey early in the morning from ,jerusalem1 and that he detached himself from his kinsfolk and returned to the holy city shortly after the company had left that place4 ,no ,syrian family ever would start out on a journey before every one of its members had been accounted for4 ,the evangelist's omission of these details is easily understood4 ,his purpose was not to give a photographic account of all that happened on the way4 ,it was rather to reveal the lofty spiritual ideals which led the boy ,jesus to return to the temple1 where he was found by his anxious parents sitting in the midst of the doctors1 both hearing them1 and asking them questions4 ,in this brief but significant record of all the filial graces which ,jesus must have possessed one only is mentioned in the second chapter of the ,gospel of ,luke1 where it is stated that he went down to ,nazareth with his parents and was subject unto them4 ,this seemingly casual remark is full of #eb significance4 ,with us in ,syria1 ta'at-el-walideen 7obedience to parents7 has always been youth's crowning virtue4 ,individual initiative must not overstep the boundary line of this grace4 ,only in this way the patriarchal organization of the family can be kept intact4 ,in my boyhood days in that romantic country1 whenever my father took me with him on a visit of homage to one of the lords of the land1 the most fitting thing such a dignitary could do to me was to place his hand upon my head and say with characteristic condescension1 ,bright boy1 and no doubt obedient to your parents4 ,as regards the grace of filial obedience1 ,i am not aware of a definite break between the ,east and the ,west4 ,but there is a vital difference4 ,to an ,oriental who has just come to this country1 the ,american youth seem to be indifferent to filial obedience4 ,the strong passion for freedom1 the individualistic sense which is a pronounced characteristic of the aggressive ,anglo-,saxon1 and the economic stress #ec which ever tends to scatter the family group1 and which the ,east has never experienced so painfully as the ,west has1 all convey the impression that parental love and filial obedience are fast disappearing from ,american society4 ,but to those of us sons of the ,east who have intimate knowledge of the ,american family1 its cohesion does not seem to be so alarmingly weak4 ,the mad rush for business success is indeed a menace to the ,american home1 but love and obedience are still vital forces in that home4 ,the terms father1 mother1 brother1 and sister1 have by no means lost their spiritual charms in ,american society4 ,the deep affection in which the members of the better ,american family hold one another and the exquisite regard they have for one another command profound respect4 ,but the vital difference between the ,east and the ,west is that to ,easterners filial obedience is more than a social grace and an evidence of natural affection4 ,it is a religious duty of far-reaching significance4 ,god commands #ed it4 ,thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother is a divine command4 ,the displeasure of a parent is as much to be feared as the wrath of ,god4 ,this sense permeates ,syrian society from the highest to the lowest of its ranks4 ,the explanation of the origin of sin in the third chapter of ,genesis touches the very heart of this matter4 ,the writer ascribes the fall of man1 not to any act which was in itself really harmful1 but to disobedience4 ,adam was commanded by his divine parent not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil2 but he did eat1 and consequently became a stranger to the blessings of his original home4 ,this idea of filial obedience has been at once the strength and weakness of ,orientals4 ,in the absence of the restraining interests of a larger social life this patriarchal rule has preserved the cohesion of the domestic and clannish group1 and thus safeguarded for the people their primitive virtues4 ,on the other hand1 it has served to extinguish the spirit of #ee progress1 and has thus made ,oriental life a monotonous repetition of antiquated modes of thought4 ,and it was indeed a great blessing to the world when ,jesus broke away from mere formal obedience to parents1 in the ,oriental sense of the word1 and declared1 ,whosoever shall do the will of my ,father in heaven1 the same is my brother1 and sister1 and mother4 #a ,see above1 p4 #ad4 #ef ,,chapter ,,vi ,,feast ,,and ,,sacrament ,of ,jesus' public ministry and his characteristics as an ,oriental teacher1 ,i shall speak in later chapters4 ,here ,i will give space only to a portrayal of the closing scenes in his personal career4 ,the events of the upper room on ,mount ,zion1 and of ,gethsemane1 are faithful photographs of striking characteristics of ,syrian life4 ,the ,last ,supper was no isolated event in ,syrian history4 ,its fraternal atmosphere1 intimate associations1 and sentimental intercourse are such as characterize every such gathering of ,syrian friends1 especially in the shadow of an approaching danger4 ,from the simple table manners up to that touch of sadness and idealism which the ,master gave that meal1--bestowing upon it the sacrificial character that has been its propelling force through the ages1--,i find nothing which is #eg not in perfect harmony with what takes place on such occasions in my native land4 ,the sacredness of the ,last ,supper is one of the emphatic examples of how ,jesus' life and words sanctified the commonest things of life4 ,he was no inventor of new things1 but a discoverer of the spiritual significance of things known to men to be ordinary4 ,the informal formalities of ,oriental life are brimful of sentiment4 ,the ,oriental's chief concern in matters of conduct is not the correctness of the technique1 but the cordiality of the deed4 ,to the ,anglo-,saxon the ,oriental appears to be perhaps too cordial1 decidedly sentimental1 and over-responsive to the social stimulus4 ,to the ,oriental1 on the other hand1 the ,anglo-,saxon seems in danger of becoming an unemotional intellectualist4 ,be that as it may1 the ,oriental is never afraid to let himself go and to give free course to his feelings4 ,the ,bible in general and such portions of it as the story of the ,last ,supper in particular illustrate this phase of ,oriental life4 #eh ,in ,syria1 as a general rule1 the men eat their fraternal feasts alone1 as in the case of the ,master and his disciples at the ,last ,supper1 when1 so far as the record goes1 none of the women followers of ,christ were present4 ,they sit on the floor in something like a circle1 and eat out of one or a few large1 deep dishes4 ,the food is lifted into the mouth1 not with a fork or spoon1--except in the case of liquid food1--but with small shreds of thin bread4 ,even liquid food is sometimes dipped up with pieces of bread formed like the bowl of a spoon4 ,here may be readily understood ,jesus' saying1 ,he that dippeth his hand with me in the dish1 the same shall betray me4#a ,in his famous painting1 ,the ,last ,supper1 ,leonardo da ,vinci presents an ,oriental event in an ,occidental form4 ,the high table1 the chairs1 the individual plates and drinking-glasses are ,european rather than ,syrian appointments4 ,from a historical standpoint1 the picture is misleading4 ,but ,da ,vinci's great #ei production was not intended to be a historical1 but a character1 study4 ,such a task could not have been accomplished if the artist had presented the ,master and his disciples as they really sat in the upper room--in a circle4 ,he seats them on one side of the table1 divides them into four groups of three each--two groups on each side of the ,master4 ,as we view the great painting1 we feel the thrill of horror which agitated the loyal disciples when ,jesus declared1 ,verily1 ,i say unto you1 that one of you shall betray me4#b ,the gestures1 the sudden change of position1 and the facial expression reveal the innermost soul of each disciple4 ,this is the central purpose of the picture4 ,the artist gave the event a ,european rather than an ,oriental setting1 in order to make it more intelligible to the people for whom it was intended4 ,but the appointments of the ,great ,supper were genuinely ,oriental4 ,the ,master and his disciples sat on the floor and ate out of one or #fj a few large1 deep dishes4 ,in ,mark's account of that event#c we read3 ,and when it was evening he cometh with the twelve4 ,and as they sat and were eating1 ,jesus said1 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,one of you shall betray me1 even he that eateth with me4 ,the fact that they were all eating with him is shown in the statement1 ,they began to be sorrowful1 and to say unto him1 ,is it ,i8 ,and he said unto them1 ,it is one of the twelve1 he that dippeth with me in the dish4 ,the last sentence1 ,he that dippeth with me in the dish1 has been construed to mean that it was ,judas only 7who was sitting near to ,jesus7 who was dipping in the dish out of which the ,master was eating4 ,this is altogether possible1 but by no means certain4 ,the fact is that according to ,syrian customs on such occasions each of the few large dishes contains a different kind of food4 ,each one of the guests is privileged to reach to any one of the dishes and dip his bread in it4 ,from this it may be #fa safely inferred that several or all of the disciples dipped in turn in the dish which was nearest to ,jesus4 ,the fact that the other disciples did not know whom their ,master meant by his saying that one of them should betray him1 even after he had said1 ,he that dippeth with me in the dish1 shows plainly that ,judas was eating in the same fashion as all the other disciples were4 ,therefore the saying1 ,he that dippeth with me1 etc41 was that of disappointed love4 ,it may be thus paraphrased3 ,i have loved you all alike4 ,i have chosen you as my dearest friends4 ,we have often broken bread and sorrowed and rejoiced together1 yet one of you1 my dear disciples1 one who is now eating with me as the rest are1 intends to betray me6 ,and that forlorn but glorious company who met in the upper room on ,mount ,zion on that historic night had certainly one cup out of which they drank4 ,at our feasts we always drank the wine out of one and the same cup4 ,we did not stay up nights thinking about #fb microbes4 ,to us the one cup meant fellowship and fraternal communion4 ,the one who gives drink 7sacky7 fills the cup and passes it to the most honored member of the company first4 ,he drinks the contents and returns the cup to the sacky1 who fills it again and hands it to another member of the group1 and so on1 until all have been served once4 ,then the guests drink again by way of nezel4 ,it is not easy to translate this word into ,english4 ,the ,english word treating falls very short of expressing the affectionate regard which the nezel signifies4 ,the one guest upon receiving the cup wishes for the whole company health1 happiness1 and length of days4 ,then he singles out one of the group and begs him to accept the next cup that is poured as a pledge of his affectionate regard4 ,the pourer complies with the request by handing the next cup to the person thus designated1 who drinks it with the most effusive and affectionate reciprocation of his friend's sentiments4 ,it is also customary for a gracious host to request as a #fc happy ending to the feast that the contents of one cup be drunk by the whole company as a seal of their friendship with one another4 ,each guest takes a sip and passes the cup to the one next to him until all have partaken of the fruit of the vine4 ,i have no doubt that it was after this custom that the disciples drank when ,jesus took the cup1 and when he had given thanks1 he gave to them3 and they all drank of it4#d ,no account of fraternal feasting in ,syria can be complete without mention of the zi-brevekreh 7remembrance74 ,to be remembered by his friends after his departure from them is one of the ,syrian's deepest and dearest desires4 ,the zi-brevekreh plays a very important part in the literature of the ,east1 and expresses the tenderest spirit of its poetry4 ,the expressions ,i remember1 remember me1 your remembrance1 the remembrance of those days and like phrases are legion among the ,syrians4 ,o friends1 cries the ,arabian poet1 #fd let your remembrance of us be as constant as our remembrance of you2 for such a remembrance brings near those that are far away4 ,rarely do friends who have been feasting together part without this request being made by those of them who do not expect to meet with their friends again for a time4 ,remember me when you meet again1 is said by the departing friend with unspeakable tenderness4 ,he is affectionately grateful also when he knows that he is held in remembrance by his friends4 ,so ,st4 ,paul pours out his soul in grateful joy for his friends' remembrance of him4 ,but now when ,timotheus came from you unto us1 and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity1 and that ye have good remembrance of us always1 desiring greatly to see us1 as we also to see you4#e ,this affectionate request1 remember me1 signifies1 ,i love you1 therefore ,i am always with you4 ,if we love one another1 we cannot #fe be separated from one another4 ,the z7iikreh is the bond of fraternity between us4 ,was not this the very thing which the ,master meant when he said1 ,this do in remembrance of me8#f ,the disciples were asked never to allow themselves to forget their ,master's love for them and for the world3 never to forget that if his love lived in their hearts he was always with them1 present at their feasts1 and in their struggles in the world to lead the world from darkness into light4 ,this do in remembrance of me1 is therefore the equivalent of ,lo1 ,i am with you alway1 even unto the end of the world4#g ,now there was leaning on ,jesus' bosom one of his disciples1 whom ,jesus loved4#h ,the posture of the beloved disciple1 ,john1--so objectionable to ,occidental taste1--is in perfect harmony with ,syrian customs4 ,how often have ,i seen men friends in such an attitude4 ,there is not in it the slightest infringement of the rules of propriety2 the act was as natural #ff to us all as shaking hands4 ,the practice is especially indulged in when intimate friends are about to part from one another1 as on the eve of a journey1 or when about to face a dangerous undertaking4 ,they then sit with their heads leaning against each other1 or the one's head resting upon the other's shoulder or breast4 ,they talk to one another in terms of unbounded intimacy and unrestrained affection4 ,the expressions1 ,my brother1 ,my eyes1 ,my soul1 ,my heart1 and the like1 form the life-centers of the conversation4 ,my life1 my blood are for you2 take the very sight of my eyes1 if you will6 ,and lookers-on say admiringly1 ,behold1 how they love one another6 ,by the name of the ,most ,high1 they are closer than brothers4 ,was it1 therefore1 strange that the ,master1 who knew the deepest secret of the divine life1 and whose whole life was a living sacrifice1 should say to his intimate friends1 as he handed them the bread and the cup on that #fg momentous night1 ,take1 eat2 this is my body2 and ,drink ye all of it2 for this is my blood8 ,here again the ,nazarene charged the ordinary words of friendly intercourse with rare spiritual richness and made the common speech of his people express eternal realities4 ,but let me here call attention to ,da ,vinci's master-stroke which changes for a moment ,john's posture and relieves the ,last ,supper of a feature which is so objectionable to ,occidental taste4 ,the artist seizes the moment when ,peter pulled ,john from ,jesus' breast by beckoning to the beloved disciple that he should ask who it should be of whom he spoke 7the one who should betray him74 ,john remains in the attitude of loving repose2 he simply lifts his body for an instant1 and inclines his head to hear ,peter4 ,the treachery of ,judas is no more an ,oriental than it is a human weakness4 ,traitors can claim neither racial nor national refuge4 ,they are fugitives in the earth4 ,but in the ,judas episode is involved one of the most tender1 #fh most touching acts of ,jesus' whole life4 ,to one familiar with the customs of the ,east1 ,jesus' handing the sop to his betrayer was an act of surpassing beauty and significance4 ,in all my life in ,america ,i have not heard a preacher interpret this simple deed1 probably because of lack of knowledge of its meaning in ,syrian social intercourse4 ,and when he had dipped the sop1 he gave it to ,judas ,iscariot1 the son of ,simon4#i ,at ,syrian feasts1 especially in the region where ,jesus lived1 such sops are handed to those who stand and serve the guests with wine and water4 ,but in a more significant manner those morsels are exchanged by friends4 ,choice bits of food are handed to friends by one another1 as signs of close intimacy4 ,it is never expected that any person would hand such a sop to one for whom he cherishes no friendship4 ,i can never contemplate this act in the ,master's story without thinking of the love of ,christ which passeth knowledge4 ,to the one #fi who carried in his mind and heart a murderous plot against the loving ,master1 ,jesus handed the sop of friendship1 the morsel which is never offered to an enemy4 ,the rendering of the act in words is this3 ,judas1 my disciple1 ,i have infinite pity for you4 ,you have proved false1 you have forsaken me in your heart2 but ,i will not treat you as an enemy1 for ,i have come1 not to destroy1 but to fulfill4 ,here is my sop of friendship1 and 'that thou doest1 do quickly4' ,apparently ,jesus' demeanor was so cordial and sympathetic that1 as the evangelist tells us1 ,now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him4 ,for some of them thought1 because ,judas had the bag1 that ,jesus had said unto him1 ,buy those things that we have need of against the feast1 or that he should give something to the poor4#aj ,thus in this simple act of the ,master1 so rarely noticed by preachers1 we have perhaps the finest practical example of ,love your enemies in the entire ,gospel4 #gj ,is it therefore to be wondered at that in speaking of ,judas1 the writer of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel says1 ,and after the sop ,satan entered into him8 ,for1 how can one who is a traitor at heart reach for the gift of true friendship without being transformed into the very spirit of treason8 ,again1 ,judas's treasonable kiss in ,gethsemane was a perversion of an ancient1 deeply cherished1 and universally prevalent ,syrian custom4 ,in saluting one another1 especially after having been separated for a time1 men friends of the same social rank kiss one another on both cheeks1 sometimes with very noisy profusion4 ,when they are not of the same social rank1 the inferior kisses the hand of the superior1 while the latter at least pretends to kiss his dutiful friend upon the cheek4 ,so ,david and ,jonathan kissed one another1 until ,david exceeded4 ,paul's command1 ,salute one another with a holy kiss1 so scrupulously disobeyed by ,occidental ,christians1 is characteristically ,oriental4 ,as a child ,i always felt #ga a profound reverential admiration for that unreserved outpouring of primitive affections1 when strong men fell upon one another's neck and kissed1 while the women's eyes swam in tears of joy4 ,the passionate1 quick1 and rhythmic exchange of affectionate words of salutation and kisses sounded1 with perhaps a little less harmony1 like an intermingling of vocal and instrumental music4 ,so ,judas1 when forthwith he came to ,jesus1 and said1 ,hail1 ,master1 and kissed him1#aa invented no new sign by which to point ,jesus out to the ,roman soldiers1 but employed an old custom for the consummation of an evil design4 ,just as ,jesus glorified the common customs of his people by using them as instruments of love1 so ,judas degraded those very customs by wielding them as weapons of hate4 #a ,matt4 xxvi3 #bc4 #b ,matt4 xxvi3 #ba4 #c ,revised ,version1 xiv3 #ag-bj4 #d ,mark xiv3 #bc4 #e #a ,thess4 iii3 #f4 #f ,luke xxii3 #ai4 #g ,matt4 xxviii3 #aj4 #h ,john xiii3 #bc4 #i ,john xiii3 #bf4 #aj ,john xiii3 #bh1 #bi4 #aa ,matt4 xxvi3 #di4 #gb ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,last ,,scene ,perhaps nowhere else in the ,new ,testament do the fundamental traits of the ,oriental nature find so clear an expression as in this closing scene of the ,master's life4 ,the ,oriental's dependence1 to which the world owes the loftiest and tenderest ,scriptural passages1 finds here its most glorious manifestations4 ,as ,i have already intimated1 the ,oriental is never afraid to let himself go1 whether in joy or sorrow1 and to give vent to his emotions4 ,it is of the nature of the ,anglo-,saxon to suffer in silence1 and to kill when he must1 with hardly a word of complaint upon his lips or a ripple of excitement on his face4 ,he disdains asking for sympathy4 ,his severely individualistic tendencies and spirit of endurance convince him that he is able to take care of himself4 ,during my early years in this country the reserve of ,americans in times of sorrow #gc and danger1 as well as in times of joy1 was to me not only amazing1 but appalling4 ,not being as yet aware of their inward fire and intensity of feeling1 held in check by a strong bulwark of calm calculation1 as an unreconstructed ,syrian ,i felt prone to doubt whether they had any emotions to speak of4 ,it is not my purpose here to undertake a comparative critical study of these opposing traits1 but to state that1 for good or evil1 the ,oriental is preminently a man who craves sympathy1 yearns openly and noisily for companionship1 and seeks help and support outside himself4 ,whatever disadvantages this trait may involve1 it has been the one supreme qualification that has made the ,oriental the religious teacher of the whole world4 ,it was his childlike dependence on ,god that gave birth to the twenty-third and fifty-first ,psalms1 and made the ,lord's ,prayer the universal petition of ,christendom4 ,it was also this dependence on companionship1 human and divine1 which inspired the great commandments1 #gd ,thou shalt love the ,lord thy ,god with all thy heart1 and thy neighbor as thyself4 ,now it is in the light of this fundamental ,oriental trait that we must view ,christ's utterances at the ,last ,supper and in ,gethsemane4 ,the record tells us that while at the ,supper he said to his disciples1 ,with desire ,i have desired to eat this passover with you before ,i suffer1#a--or1 as the marginal note has it1 ,i have heartily desired1 and so forth1 which brings it nearer the original text4 ,again1 ,he was troubled in spirit1 and testified and said1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 that one of you shall betray me4 ,this is my body 444 ,this is my blood 444 ,do this in remembrance of me4 ,we must seek the proper setting for these utterances1 not merely in the upper room in ,zion1 but in the deepest tendencies of the ,oriental mind4 ,and the climax is reached in the dark hour of ,gethsemane1 in the hour of intense suffering1 imploring need1 and ultimate triumph in #ge ,jesus' surrender to the ,father's will4 ,how true to that demonstrative ,oriental nature is the ,scriptural record1 ,and being in an agony he prayed more earnestly3 and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground4#b ,the faithful and touching realism of the record here is an example of the childlike responsiveness of the ,syrian nature to feelings of sorrow1 no less striking than the experience itself4 ,it seems to me that if an ,anglo-,saxon teacher in similar circumstances had ever allowed himself to agonize and to sweat as it were great drops of blood1 his chronicler in describing the scene would have safeguarded the dignity of his race by simply saying that the distressed teacher was visibly affected6 ,the darkness deepened and the ,master took with him ,peter and the two sons of ,zebedee1 and began to be sorrowful and very heavy4 ,then saith he unto them1 ,my soul is exceeding sorrowful1 even unto death2 tarry #gf ye here1 and watch with me4#c ,three times did the ,great ,teacher utter that matchless prayer1 whose spirit of fear as well as of trust vindicates the doctrine of the humanity of ,god and the divinity of man as exemplified in the person of ,christ3 ,o my ,father1 if it be possible1 let this cup pass from me3 nevertheless not as ,i will1 but as thou wilt6#d ,the sharp contrast between the ,semitic and the ,anglo-,saxon temperament has led some unfriendly critics of ,christ to state very complacently and confidently that he simply broke down when the critical hour came4 ,in this assertion ,i find a very pronounced misapprehension of the facts4 ,if my knowledge of the traits of my own race is to be relied on1 then in trying to meet this assertion ,i feel that ,i am entitled to the consideration of one who speaks with something resembling authority4 ,the simple fact is that while in ,gethsemane1 as indeed everywhere else throughout his ministry1 ,jesus was not in the position of one #gg trying to play the hero4 ,his companions were his intimate earthly friends and his gracious heavenly ,father1 and to them he spoke as an ,oriental would speak to those dear to him1--just as he felt1 with not a shadow of show or sham4 ,his words were not those of weakness and despair1 but of confidence and affection4 ,the love of his friends and the love of his ,father in heaven were his to draw upon in his hour of trial1 with not the slightest artificial reserve4 ,how much better and happier this world would be if we all dealt with one another and with ,god in the warm1 simple1 and pure love of ,christ6 ,as the life and words of ,christ amply testify1 the vision of the ,oriental has been to teach mankind not science1 logic1 or jurisprudence1 but a simple1 loving1 childlike faith in ,god4 ,therefore1 before we can fully know our ,master as the cosmopolitan ,christ1 we must first know him as the ,syrian ,christ4 #a ,luke xxii3 #ae4 #b ,luke xxii3 #dd4 #c ,matt4 xxvi3 #cg-ch4 #d ,ibid4 #ci4 #ha ,,part ,,ii ,,the ,,oriental ,,manner ,,of ,,speech ,,chapter ,i ,,daily ,,language ,the ,oriental ,i have in mind is the ,semite1 the dweller of the ,near ,east1 who1 chiefly through the ,bible1 has exerted an immense influence on the life and literature of the ,west4 ,the son of the ,near ,east is more emotional1 more intense1 and more communicative than his ,far-,eastern neighbors4 ,although very old in point of time1 his temperament remains somewhat juvenile1 and his manner of speech intimate and unreserved4 ,from the remote past1 even to this day1 the ,oriental's manner of speech has been that of a worshipper1 and not that of a business man or an industrial worker in the modern ,western sense4 ,to the ,syrian of to-day1 as to his ancient ancestors1 life1 with all its activities and cares1 revolves around a religious center4 ,of course this does not mean that his religion #hb has not always been beset with clannish limitations and clouded by superstitions1 or that the ,oriental has always had a clear1 active consciousness of the sanctity of human life4 ,but it does mean that this man1 serene or wrathful1 at work or at play1 praying or swearing1 has never failed to believe that he is overshadowed by the ,all-seeing ,god4 ,he has never ceased to cry3 ,o ,lord1 ,thou hast searched me1 and known me4 ,thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising2 ,thou understandest my thought afar off4 ,thou hast beset me behind and before1 and laid thine hand upon me4 ,such knowledge is too wonderful for me2 it is high1 ,i cannot attain unto it6#a ,and it is one of the grandest1 most significant facts in human history that1 notwithstanding his intellectual limitations and superstitious fears1 because he has maintained the altar of ,god as life's center of gravity1 and never let die the consciousness that he was compassed about by the living ,god1 the ,oriental #hc has been the channel of the sublimest spiritual revelation in the possession of man4 ,the histories of races are the records of their desires and rewards1 of their seeking and finding4 ,the law of compensation is all-embracing4 ,in the long run whatsoever a man soweth1 that shall he also reap4#b ,he which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly2 and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully4#c ,in the material world the ,oriental has sown but sparingly1 and his harvests here have also been very meager4 ,he has not achieved much in the world of science1 industry1 and commerce4 ,as an industrial worker he has remained throughout his long history a user of hand tools4 ,previous to his very recent contact with the ,west1 he never knew what structural iron and machinery were4 ,as a merchant he has always been a simple trader4 ,he has never been a man of many inventions4 ,his faithful repetition of the past has left no gulf between him and his remote ancestors4 #hd ,the implements and tools he uses to-day are like those his forefathers used in their day4 ,the supreme choice of the ,oriental has been religion4 ,to say that this choice has not been altogether a conscious one1 that it has been the outcome of temperament1 does by no means lessen its significance4 ,from the beginning of his history on the earth to this day the ,oriental has been conscious above all things of two supreme realities--,god and the soul4 ,what has always seemed to him to be his first and almost only duty was and is to form the most direct1 most intimate connection between ,god and the soul4 ,the fear of the ,lord1 meaning most affectionate reverence1 is to the son of the ,east not the beginning of wisdom as the ,english ,bible has it1 but the height or acme of wisdom4 ,his first concern about his children is that they should know themselves as living souls1 and ,god as their ,creator and ,father4 ,an unbeliever in ,god has always been to the ,east a strange phenomenon4 ,i never heard of atheism or of an atheist before #he ,i came in touch with ,western culture in my native land4 ,my many years of intimate and sympathetic contact with the more varied1 more intelligent life of the ,west has not tended in the least to lessen my reverence for religion nor to lower my regard for culture4 ,culture gives strength and symmetry to religious thought1 and religion gives life and beauty to culture4 ,and just as ,i believe that men should pray without ceasing1 so also do ,i believe that they should strive to make their religious faith ever more free and more intelligent4 ,yet the history of the ,orient compels me to believe that the soil out of which scriptures spring is that whose life is the active sympathy of religion1 regardless of the degree of acquired knowledge4 ,when the depths of human nature are thoroughly saturated with this sympathy1 then it is prepared both to receive and to give those thoughts of which scriptures are made4 ,industry and commerce have their good uses4 ,but an industrial and #hf commercialistic atmosphere is not conducive to the production of sacred books4 ,where the chief interests of life center in external things1 religion is bound to become only one and perhaps a minor concern in life4 ,the ,oriental has always lived in a world of spiritual mysteries4 ,fearful or confident1 superstitious or rational1 to him ,god has been all and in all4 ,the judgments of the ,lord are true and righteous altogether4 ,in keeping of them there is great reward4#d ,the son of the ,east has been richly rewarded4 ,he is the religious teacher of all mankind4 ,through him all scriptures have come into being4 ,all the great1 living religions of the world originated in ,asia2 and the three greatest of them--,judaism1 ,christianity1 and ,mohammedanism--have come into the world through the ,semitic race in that little country called ,syria4 ,the perpetual yearning of the ,oriental for spiritual dreams and visions has had its rewards4 ,he sowed bountifully1 he reaped bountifully4 #hg ,note the ,syrian's daily language3 it is essentially ,biblical4 ,he has no secular language4 ,the only real break between his scriptures and the vocabulary of his daily life is that which exists between the classical and the vernacular4 ,when you ask a ,syrian about his business he will not answer1 ,we are doing well at present1 but ,allah mn 'aim 7,god is giving bounteously74 ,to one starting on a journey the phrase is not ,take good care of yourself1 but ,go1 in the keeping and protection of ,god4 ,by example and precept we were trained from infancy in this manner of speech4 ,coming into a house1 the visitor salutes by saying1 ,god grant you good morning1 or ,the peace of ,god come upon you4 ,so it is written in the tenth chapter of ,matthew1 ,and as ye enter into the house1 salute it4 ,and if the house be worthy1 let your peace come upon it2 but if it be not worthy1 let your peace return unto you4 ,in saluting a day laborer at work we said1 ,allah1 yaatik-el-afie 7,god give you health #hh and strength74 ,in saluting reapers in the field1 or gatherers of the increase in the vineyards or olive groves1 we said just the words of ,boaz1 in the second chapter of the ,book of ,ruth1 when he came from ,bethlehem and said unto the reapers1 ,the ,lord be with you4 ,and they answered him1 ,the ,lord bless thee4 ,or another ,scriptural expression1 now more extensively used on such occasions1 ,the blessing of the ,lord be upon you6 ,it is to this custom that the withering imprecation which is recorded in the one hundred and twenty-ninth ,psalm refers3 ,let them all be confounded and turned back that hate ,zion3 let them be as the grass upon the housetops which withereth afore it groweth up3 wherewith the mower filleth not his hand1 nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom4 ,neither do they which go by say1 ,the blessing of the ,lord be upon you3 we bless you in the name of the ,lord4 ,in asking a shepherd about his flock we said1 ,how are the blessed ones8 or a parent about his children1 ,how are the preserved ones8 #hi ,they are preserved of ,god through their angels1 of whom the ,master spoke when he said1 ,take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones2 for ,i say unto you that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my ,father4#e ,speaking of a good man we said1 ,the grace of ,god is poured upon his face4 ,so in the ,book of ,proverbs1#f ,blessings are upon the head of the just4 ,akin to the foregoing are such expressions as these4 ,in trying to rise from a sitting posture 7the ,syrians sit on the floor with their legs folded under them71 a person1 using the right arm for leverage1 says1 as he springs up1 ,ya ,allah 7,o ,god help74 ,in inquiring about the nature of an object1 he says1 ,sho din8 7what is its religion87 ,and one of the queerest expressions1 when translated into ,english1 is that employed to indicate that a kettleful of water1 for example1 has boiled beyond the required degree3 ,this water has turned to be an infidel 7kaffer74 ,it may be noticed here #ij that it is not the old theology only which associates the infidel with intense heat4 ,so this religious language is the ,oriental's daily speech4 ,i have stated in my autobiography that the men my father employed in his building operations were grouped according to their faith4 ,he had so many ,druses1 so many ,greek ,orthodox1 ,maronites1 and so forth4 ,the almost total abstinence from using pious language in ordinary business and social intercourse in ,america may be considered commendable in some ways1 but ,i consider it a surrender of the soul to the body1 a subordination of the spirit of the things which are eternal to the spirit of the things which are temporal4 ,in my judgment1 the superior culture of the ,west1 instead of limiting the vocabulary of religion to the one hour of formal worship on ,sunday1 and scrupulously shunning it during the remainder of the week1 should make its use1 on a much higher plane than the ,orient has yet discovered1 coextensive with all the activities of life4 #a ,ps4 cxxxix3 #a-f4 #b ,gal4 vi3 #g4 #c #b ,cor4 ix3 #f4 #d ,ps4 xix3 #i1 #aa4 #e ,matt4 xviii3 #aj4 #f x3 #f4 #ia ,,chapter ,,ii ,,imprecations ,again1 the ,oriental's consideration of life as being essentially religious makes him as pious in his imprecations and curses as he is in his aspirational prayer4 ,beyond all human intrigue1 passion1 and force1 the great avenger is ,god4 ,vengeance is mine1 ,i will repay1 saith the ,lord4#a ,see now that ,i1 even ,i1 am he1 and there is no ,god with me3 ,i kill and ,i make alive2 ,i wound and ,i heal2 neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand4#b ,by priests and parents these precepts have been transmitted from generation to generation in the ,orient1 from time immemorial4 ,we all were instructed in them by our elders with scrupulous care4 ,of course as weak mortals we always tried to avenge ourselves1 and the idea of thar 7revenge7 lies deep in the ,oriental nature4 ,but to us our vengeance was nothing #ib compared with what ,god did to our ungodly enemies and oppressors4 ,the ,oriental's impetuosity and effusiveness make his imprecatory prayers1 especially to the unaccustomed ears of ,americans1 blood-curdling4 ,and ,i confess that on my last visit to ,syria1 my countrymen's 7and especially my countrywomen's7 bursts of pious wrath jarred heavily upon me4 ,in his oral bombardment of his enemy the ,oriental hurls such missiles as1 ,may ,god burn the bones of your fathers2 ,may ,god exterminate your seed from the earth2 ,may ,god cut off your supply of bread 7yakta rizkak72 ,may you have nothing but the ground for a bed and the sky for covering2 ,may your children be orphaned and your wife widowed2 and similar expressions4 ,does not this sound exactly like the one hundred and ninth ,psalm8 ,speaking of his enemy1 the writer of that psalm says1 ,let his days be few1 and let another take his office4 ,let his children be fatherless1 and his wife a widow4 ,let his children be continually #ic vagabonds1 and beg2 let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places4 ,let there be none to extend mercy unto him2 neither let there be any to favor his fatherless children4 ,let his posterity be cut off2 and in the generation following let their name be blotted out4 ,the sad fact is that the ,oriental has always considered his personal enemies to be the enemies of ,god also1 and as such their end was destruction4 ,such sentiments mar the beauty of many of the ,psalms4 ,the enemies of the ,israelites were considered the enemies of the ,god of ,israel1 and the enemies of a ,syrian family are also the enemies of the patron saint of that family4 ,in that most wonderful ,scriptural passage--the one hundred and thirty-ninth ,psalm--the singer cries1 ,surely thou wilt slay the wicked1 ,o ,god3 depart from me1 ye bloody men4 ,for they speak against thee wickedly1 and thine enemies take thy name in vain4 ,do not ,i hate them1 ,o ,lord1 that hate thee8 and am ,i not grieved with those that rise against thee8 ,i hate them with perfect hatred3 #id ,i count them mine enemies4 ,yet this ardent hater of his enemies most innocently turns to ,god and says in the next verse3 ,search me1 ,o ,god1 and know my heart3 try me and know my thoughts3 and see if there be any wicked way in me1 and lead me in the way everlasting4 ,this mixture of piety and hatred1 uttered so navely and in good faith1 is characteristically ,syrian4 ,such were the mutual wishes ,i so often heard expressed in our neighborhood and clan fights and quarrels in ,syria4 ,when so praying1 the persons would beat upon their breasts and uncover their heads1 as signs of the total surrender of their cause to an avenging ,omnipotence4 ,of course the ,syrians are not so cruel and heartless as such imprecations1 especially when cast in cold type1 would lead one to believe4 ,i am certain that if the little children of his enemy should become fatherless1 the imprecator himself would be among the first to favor them4 ,if you will keep in mind the juvenile temperament of the ,oriental1 already mentioned1 and his habit of turning to #ie ,god in all circumstances1 as unreservedly as a child turns to his father1 your judgment of the son of ,palestine will be greatly tempered with mercy4 ,the one redeeming feature in these imprecatory petitions is that they have always served the ,oriental as a safety-valve4 ,much of his wrath is vented in this manner4 ,he is much more cruel in his words than in his deeds4 ,as a rule the ,orientals quarrel much1 but fight little4 ,by the time two antagonists have cursed and reviled each other so profusely they cool off1 and thus graver consequences are averted4 ,the ,anglo-,saxon has outgrown such habits4 ,in the first place the highly complex social order in which he lives calls for much more effective methods for the settling of disputes1 and1 in the second place1 he has no time to waste on mere words4 ,and just as the ,anglo-,saxon smiles at the wordy fights of the ,oriental1 the ,oriental shudders at the swiftness of the ,anglo-,saxon in using his fists and his pistol4 ,both are needy of the grace of ,god4 #a ,rom4 xii3 #ai4 #b ,deut4 xxxii3 #ci4 #if ,,chapter ,,iii ,,love ,,of ,,enemies ,the preceding chapter makes it very clear why ,jesus opened the more profound depths of the spiritual life to his much-divided and almost hopelessly clannish countrymen1 by commanding them to love their enemies4 ,he who taught as one having authority1 and not as the scribes1 knew the possibilities and powers of divine love as no man did4 ,it is in such immortal precepts that we perceive his superiority to his time and people and the divinity of his character4 ,his knowledge of the ,father was so intimate and his repose in the ,father's love so perfect that he could justly say1 ,i and my father are one4 ,ye have heard1 he said to his followers1 that it hath been said1 ,thou shalt love thy neighbor in the original1 quarib--kinsman and hate thine enemy3 but ,i say unto you1 love your enemies1 bless them that curse you1 do #ig good to them that hate you1 and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you2 that ye may be the children of your father which is in heaven4#a ,here we have the very heart and soul of the ,gospel1 and the dynamic power of ,jesus' ministry of reconciliation4 ,yet to many devout ,christians1 as well as to unfriendly critics of the ,new ,testament1 the command1 ,love your enemies1 offers a serious perplexity4 ,an independent preacher in a large ,western city1 after reading this portion of the ,sermon on the ,mount to his congregation1 stated that ,jesus' great discourse should be called1 ,the ,sarcasm on the ,mount4 ,is not love of enemies beyond the power of human nature8 ,this question is pertinent4 ,and it is an obvious fact that we cannot love by command2 we cannot love to order4 ,this mysterious flow of soul which we call love is not of our own making2 therefore we cannot will to love4 ,such a discussion1 however1 falls outside the scope #ih of this publication4 ,what ,i wish to offer here is a linguistic explanation which ,i believe will throw some light on this great commandment4 ,the word love has been more highly specialized in the ,west than in the ,east4 ,in its proper ,english use it means only that ardent1 amorous feeling which cannot be created by will and design4 ,in the ,west the word love has been relieved of the function of expressing the less ardent desires such as the terms to like1 to have good-will toward1 and to be well-disposed toward imply4 ,not so in the ,east4 ,the word like1 meaning to be favorably inclined toward1 is not found either in the ,bible or in the ,arabic tongue4 ,in the ,english version it is used in two places1 but the translation is incorrect4 ,in the twenty-fifth chapter of ,deuteronomy the seventh verse1 ,if the man like not to take his brother's wife1 should be rendered1 ,if the man consent not2 and in the fourth chapter of ,amos1 the fifth verse1 ,for this liketh you1 ,o ye children of ,israel1 is in the original1 ,for this ye #ii loved1 ,o ye children of ,israel4 ,in any standard concordance of the ,bible1 the ,hebrew verb ,aheb 7to love7 precedes these quotations4 ,so to us ,orientals the only word which can express any cordial inclination of approval is love4 ,one loves his wife and children1 and loves grapes and figs and meat1 if he likes these things4 ,an employer says to an employee1 ,if you love to work for me according to this agreement1 you can4 ,it is nothing uncommon for one to say to a casual acquaintance whom he likes1 ,i must say1 ,sahib friend1 that ,i love you6 ,i know of no equivalent in the ,arabic for the phrase1 ,i am interested in you4 ,love and hate are the usual terms by which to express approval and disapproval1 as well as real love and hatred4 ,the ,scriptural passages illustrative of this thought are not a few4 ,in the ninth chapter of the ,epistle to the ,romans1 the thirteenth verse1 it is said1 ,as it is written1 ,jacob have ,i loved1 but ,esau have ,i hated4 ,god does not hate4 ,the two terms here1 loved and #ajj hated1 mean approved and disapproved4 ,it is as a father approves of the conduct of one of his children and disapproves that of another of them4 ,another example of this use of the word hate is found in the twenty-first chapter of ,deuteronomy1 the fifteenth verse3 ,if a man have two wives1 one beloved1 and another hated1 and they have born him children1 both the beloved and the hated2 and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated3 then it shall be1 when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath1 that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated1 which is indeed the first-born3 but he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn1 by giving him a double portion of all that he hath4 ,here it is safe to infer that the writer meant to distinguish between the wife who was a favorite and the one who was not4 ,there could be no valid reason why a husband should live with a wife whom he really hated when he could very easily divorce her1 according to the ,jewish #aja law1 and marry another4 ,in such a case the husband was simply partial in his love4 ,the hatred which is felt toward an enemy and a destroyer does not apply here4 ,another ,scriptural passage which illustrates the free use of the word love is the story of the rich man in the tenth chapter of ,st4 ,mark's ,gospel4 ,beginning with the seventeenth verse1 the passage reads3 ,and when he was gone forth into the way1 there came one running1 and kneeling to him1 and asked him1 ,good ,master1 what shall ,i do that ,i may inherit eternal life8 ,and ,jesus said unto him1 ,why callest thou me good8 there is none good but one1 that is1 ,god4 ,thou knowest the commandments1 ,do not commit adultery1 ,do not kill1 ,do not steal1 ,do not bear false witness1 ,defraud not1 ,honor thy father and mother4 ,and he answered and said unto him1 ,master1 all these have ,i observed from my youth4 ,then ,jesus1 beholding him1 loved him1 and said unto him1 ,one thing thou lackest2 and so forth4 ,apparently the brief conversation with the young man #ajb showed ,jesus that his questioner was both polite and intelligent1 so the ,master liked him4 ,stating the case in ,western phraseology it may be said that the young ,hebrew seeker was an agreeable1 or likable man4 ,quite different is the import of the word love in such of the ,master's sayings as are found in the fifteenth chapter of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel3 ,as the ,father hath loved me1 so have ,i loved you3 continue ye in my love4 ,this is my commandment1 ,that ye love one another1 as ,i have loved you4 ,here the term love is used in its truest and purest sense4 ,from all this it may be seen that when the ,great ,oriental ,teacher said to his countrymen1 who considered all other clans than their own as their enemies1 ,love your enemies1 he did not mean that they should be enamored of them1 but that they should have good will toward them4 ,we cannot love by will and design1 but we certainly can will to be well disposed even toward those who1 we believe1 have ill will toward us4 ,he who really thinks this #ajc an impossibility gives evidence not of superior critical knowledge1 but of being still in the lower stages of human evolution4 ,but ,i have something more to say on this great subject4 ,whether used in a general or a highly specialized sense the word ,love speaks indeed of the greatest thing in the world4 ,when the ,master of the ,art of ,living said1 ,love your enemies1 he urged upon the minds of men the divinest law of human progress4 ,yet compliance with this demand seems1 to the majority of men1 to be beyond the reach of humanity4 ,when you are admonished to love your enemies1 you will be likely to think of the meanest1 most disagreeable human being you know and wonder as to how you are going to love such a person4 ,but the ,master's law far transcends this narrow conception of love4 ,its deeper meaning1 when understood1 renders such a conception shallow and childish4 ,it is to be found1 not in the freakish moods of the sensibility1 but in the realm of permanent ideals4 #ajd ,there are in the world two forces at work1 love and hatred4 ,hatred destroys1 love builds2 hatred injures1 love heals2 hatred embitters life1 love sweetens it2 hatred is godlessness1 love is godliness4 ,the supreme question1 therefore1 is1 not as to whether there are unlovable persons in the world or not1 but rather1 which one of these two forces would you have to rule your own life and the life of humanity at large1 love or hatred8 ,which nutrition would you give your own soul and the souls of those who are near and dear to you1 that of hatred1 or that of love8 ,can it be your aim in life to aid that power which injures1 destroys1 embitters life and estranges from ,god1 or the power which heals1 builds up1 sweetens life and makes one with ,god8 ,you say you have been injured through the malicious designs of others1 you are pained by the injury1 and a sense of hatred impels you to avenge yourself4 ,but what formed such designs against you1 love or hatred8 ,hatred6 ,you enjoy1 idealize1 adore the love of those who #aje love you4 ,the designs of love give you joyous satisfaction1 and not pain4 ,you know now by actual personal experience that the fruits of hatred are bitter1 and the fruits of love are sweet4 ,is it your duty1 therefore1 to give your life over to the power of hatred1 and thus increase its dominion among men and multiply its bitter1 poisonous fruit in the world1 or to consecrate your life to the power of love1 which you idealize and adore1 and whose fruits are joy and peace8 ,this1 therefore1 is the ,master's law of love3 ,give your life and service to that power which merits your holiest regard and engages your purest affections1 regardless of the evil and the undeserving4 ,recognize no enemies1 and you shall have none4 ,the only power which can defeat the designs of hatred is love4 ,the foams of hatred and fumes of vengeance are destined to pass away with all their possessors2 only love is permanent and sovereign good4 ,the man of hatred is destined1 sooner or #ajf later1 to lose his nobler qualities1 his own self-respect and the respect of others1 and to occupy the smallest and most undesirable social sphere4 ,therefore love1 and do not hate6 ,exercise good will toward those even who have injured you4 ,you may not be able to reach and redeem by your generous thoughts and designs such persons as have injured you1 but a hundred others may learn from you the law of redeeming love4 ,let your children grow to know you as a man of love4 ,let your employees and fellow citizens think of you as a man of peace and good will1 a builder and not a destroyer4 ,let your fireside be ever cheered by the music of love4 ,when the shadows of night fall and you come to enter into the unknown land of sleep1 let loving thoughts be your companions2 let them course into the deepest recesses of your nature and leaven your entire being4 ,be a man of love6 ,love even your blind and misguided enemies6 #a ,matt4 v3 #dc-de4 #ajg ,,chapter ,,iv ,,the ,,unveracious ,,oriental ,the ,oriental's juvenile temperament and his partial disregard for concrete facts have led his ,anglo-,saxon cousin to consider him as essentially unveracious4 ,you cannot believe what an ,oriental says4 ,the ,orientals are the children of the ',father of ,lies4' ,whatever an ,oriental says1 the opposite is likely to be the truth2 and so forth4 ,i do not wish in the least to undertake to excuse or even condone the ,oriental's unveracity1 any more than to approve of the ethics of ,american politicians during a political campaign4 ,i have no doubt that the ,oriental suffers more from the universal affliction of untruthfulness than does the ,anglo-,saxon1 and that he sorely needs to restrict his fancy1 and to train his intellect to have more respect for facts4 ,nevertheless1 ,i feel compelled to say that a #ajh clear understanding of some of the ,oriental's modes of thought will quash many of the indictments against his veracity4 ,his ways will remain different from the ways of the ,anglo-,saxon1 and perhaps not wholly agreeable to the latter2 but the son of the ,east--the dreamer and writer of scriptures--will be credited with more honesty of purpose4 ,it is unpleasant to an ,anglo-,saxon to note how many things an ,oriental says1 but does not mean4 ,and it is distressing to an ,oriental to note how many things the ,anglo-,saxon means1 but does not say4 ,to an unreconstructed ,syrian the brevity1 yea1 even curtness1 of an ,englishman or an ,american1 seems to sap life of its pleasures and to place a disproportionate value on time4 ,for the ,oriental1 the primary value of time must not be computed in terms of business and money1 but in terms of sociability and good fellowship4 ,poetry1 and not prosaic accuracy1 must be the dominant feature of speech4 ,there is much more of intellectual inaccuracy than of moral delinquency in the ,easterner's #aji speech4 ,his misstatements are more often the result of indifference than the deliberate purpose to deceive4 ,one of his besetting sins is his ma besay-il--it does not matter4 ,he sees no essential difference between nine o'clock and half after nine1 or whether a conversation took plate on the housetop or in the house4 ,the main thing is to know the substance of what happened1 with as many of the supporting details as may be conveniently remembered4 ,a case may be overstated or understated1 not necessarily for the purpose of deceiving1 but to impress the hearer with the significance or the insignificance of it4 ,if a sleeper who had been expected to rise at sunrise should oversleep and need to be awakened1 say half an hour or an hour later than the appointed time1 he is then aroused with the call1 ,arise1 it is noon already--qm sar edh-hir4 ,of a strong and brave man it is said1 ,he can split the earth--yekkid elaridh4 ,the ,syrians suffer from no misunderstanding in such cases4 ,they discern one another's meaning4 #aaj ,so also many ,scriptural passages need to be discerned4 ,the purpose of the ,oriental speaker or writer must be sought often beyond the letter of his statement1 which he uses with great freedom4 ,in the first chapter of ,st4 ,mark's ,gospel1 the thirty-second and thirty-third verses1 it is said1 ,and at even1 when the sun did set1 they brought unto him all that were diseased1 and them that were possessed of devils4 ,and all the city was gathered together at the door4 ,the swiftness with which the poor people in ,eastern communities bring their sick to a healer1 be he a prophet or only a physician1 is proverbial4 ,because of the scarcity of physicians1 as well as of money with which to pay for medical attendance1 when a healer is summoned to a home many afflicted persons come or are brought to him4 ,the peoples of the ,east have always believed also in the healing of diseases by religious means4 ,when a prophet arises the first thing expected of him is that he should heal the sick4 ,both the priest and the physician #aaa are appealed to in time of trouble4 ,to those who followed and believed in him ,jesus was the healer of both the soul and the body4 ,but note the account of the incident before us4 ,the place was the city of ,capernaum1 and we are told that all the city was gathered together at the door of the house where ,jesus was bestowing the loving1 healing touch upon the sick4 ,was the whole city at the door8 ,were all the sick in that large city brought into that house for ,jesus to heal them8 ,here we are confronted by a physical impossibility4 ,an ,anglo-,saxon chronicler would have said1 ,quite a number gathered at the door1 which in all probability would have been a correct report4 ,but to the ,oriental writer the object of the report was not to determine the number of those who stood outside1 nor to insist that each and every sick person in ,capernaum was brought into the humble home of ,simon and ,andrew4 ,it was rather to glorify the ,great ,teacher and his divine work of mercy1 and not to give a photographic report of the attendant #aab circumstances4 ,the saying1 ,quite a number gathered at the door1 may be correct1 but to an ,oriental it is absolutely colorless and tasteless1 an inexcusably parsimonious use of the imagination4 ,take another ,scriptural passage4 ,in the seventeenth chapter of ,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel1 the first verse1 we read3 ,and after six days ,jesus taketh ,peter1 ,james1 and ,john his brother1 and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart1 and was transfigured before them2 and his face did shine as the sun4 ,after six days from what time8 ,in the preceding chapter a general reference to time is made in the thirteenth verse1 where it is said3 ,when ,jesus came into the coasts of ,csarea ,philippi1 he asked his disciples1 saying1 ,whom do men say that ,i the ,son of man am8 ,but here no definite date is given4 ,chapter sixteenth ends with those great words1 ,for whosoever will save his life shall lose it3 and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it4 ,for what is a man profited1 if he shall gain the whole world1 and #aac lose his own soul8 ,the two last verses of this chapter promise the speedy coming of the ,kingdom4 ,after six days from what time8 ,well1 what does it matter from what time8 ,do you not see that the object of the record is to give a glimpse of what happened on that high mountain where the light and glory of the unseen world were reflected in the face of the ,christ8 ,the intelligent lay reader of the ,new ,testament cannot fail to notice1 especially in the ,gospels1 gaps and abrupt beginnings such as ,in those days2 ,then came the disciples to ,jesus2 ,and it came to pass2 and many similar expressions which seem to point nowhere4 ,the record seems to be rather incoherent4 ,yes1 such difficulties1 which are due largely to the ,oriental's indifference to little details1 exist in the ,bible1 but they are very unimportant4 ,the central purpose of these books is to enable the reader to perceive the secret of a holy personality1 whose mission was1 is1 and forever shall be1 to emancipate the soul of man from the #aad bondage of a world of fear1 weakness1 sin1 and doubt1 and lead it onward and upward to the realms of faith1 hope1 and love4 ,this purpose the ,scriptures abundantly subserve4 #aae ,,chapter ,v ,,impressions vs4 ,,literal ,,accuracy ,a ,syrian's chief purpose in a conversation is to convey an impression by whatever suitable means1 and not to deliver his message in scientifically accurate terms4 ,he expects to be judged not by what he says1 but by what he means4 ,he does not expect his hearer to listen to him with the quizzical courtesy of a cool-headed ,yankee1 and to interrupt the flow of conversation by saying1 with the least possible show of emotion1 ,do ,i understand you to say1 etc4 ,no2 he piles up his metaphors and superlatives1 reinforced by a theatrical display of gestures and facial expressions1 in order to make the hearer feel his meaning4 ,the ,oriental's speech is always illustrated4 ,he speaks as it were in pictures4 ,with him the spoken language goes hand in hand with the more ancient gesture language4 ,his profuse gesticulation is that phase of his life which first #aaf challenges the attention of ,occidental travelers in the ,east4 ,he points to almost everything he mentions in his speech1 and would portray every feeling and emotion by means of some bodily movement4 ,no sooner does he mention his eye than his index finger points to or even touches that organ4 ,do you understand me8 is said to an auditor with the speaker's finger on his own temple4 ,in rebuking one who makes unreasonable demands upon him1 a ,syrian would be likely to stoop down and say1 ,don't you want to ride on my back8 ,one of the most striking examples of this manner of speech in the ,bible is found in the twenty-first chapter of the ,book of ,acts4 ,beginning with the tenth verse1 the writer says3 ,and as we tarried there at ,csarea many days1 there came down from ,judea a certain prophet1 named ,agabus4 ,and when he was come unto us1 he took ,paul's girdle1 and bound his own hands and feet1 and said1 ,thus saith the ,holy ,ghost1 ,so shall the ,jews at ,jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle1 and shall #aag deliver him into the hands of the ,gentiles4 ,now an ,occidental teacher would not have gone into all that trouble4 ,he would have said to the great apostle1 ,now you understand ,i don't mean to interfere with your business1 but if ,i were you ,i would n't go down to ,jerusalem4 ,those ,jews there are not pleased with what you are doing1 and would be likely to make things unpleasant for you4 ,but in all probability such a polite hint would not have made ,paul's companions weep1 nor caused him to say1 ,what mean ye to weep and to break mine heart8 for ,i am ready not to be bound only1 but also to die at ,jerusalem for the name of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,it is also because the ,syrian loves to speak in pictures1 and to subordinate literal accuracy to the total impression of an utterance1 that he makes such extensive use of figurative language4 ,instead of saying to the ,pharisees1 ,your pretensions to virtue and good birth far exceed your actual practice of virtue1 ,john the ,baptist cried3 ,o generation of vipers1 who hath warned #aah you to flee from the wrath to come8 ,bring forth1 therefore1 fruits meet for repentance3 and think not to say within yourselves1 ,we have ,abraham to our father3 for ,i say unto you that ,god is able of these stones to raise up children unto ,abraham4 ,just as the ,oriental loves to flavor his food strongly and to dress in bright colors1 so is he fond of metaphor1 exaggeration1 and positiveness in speech4 ,to him mild accuracy is weakness4 ,a host of illustrations of this thought rise in my mind as ,i recall my early experiences as a ,syrian youth4 ,i remember how those jovial men who came to our house to sit--that is1 to make a call of indefinite duration--would make their wild assertions and back them up by vows which they never intended to keep4 ,the one would say1 ,what ,i say to you is the truth1 and if it is not1 ,i will cut off my right arm--grasping it--at the shoulder4 ,i promise you this1--whatever the promise might be1--and if ,i fail in fulfilling my promise ,i will pluck out my right eye4 #aai ,to such speech we always listened admiringly and respectfully4 ,but we never had the remotest idea that in any circumstances the speaker would carry out his resolution1 or that his hearers had a right to demand it from him4 ,he simply was in earnest2 or as an ,american would say1 ,he meant that he was right4 ,such an ,oriental mode of thought furnishes us with the background for ,jesus' saying1 ,if thy right eye offend thee1 pluck it out1 and cast it from thee4 ,if thy right hand offend thee1 cut it off1 and cast it from thee4#a ,to many ,western ,christians1 especially in the light of the ,protestant doctrine of the infallibility of the letter of the ,bible1 these sayings of ,christ present insurmountable difficulties4 ,to such the question1 ,how can ,i be a true disciple of ,christ1 if ,i do not obey what he commands8 makes these misunderstood sayings of ,christ great stumbling blocks4 ,some time ago a lady wrote me a letter saying that at a prayer-meeting which she attended1 the minister1 after #abj reading the fifth chapter of ,matthew1 which contains these commands1 said1 ,if we are true ,christians we must not shrink from obeying these explicit commands of our ,lord4 ,my informant stated also that on hearing that1 she asked the preacher1 ,suppose the tongue should offend1 and we should cut it off2 should we be better ,christians than if we did endeavor to atone for the offense in some other way8 ,the preacher1 after a moment of perplexed silence1 said1 ,if there is no one here who can answer this question1 we will sing a hymn4 ,the best commentary on these sayings of ,christ is given by ,paul in the sixth chapter of his ,epistle to the ,romans4 ,this is precisely what the ,master meant3 ,neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin2 but yield yourselves unto ,god1 as those that are alive from the dead1 and your members as instruments of righteousness unto ,god4 ,cutting or mutilation of the body has nothing to do with either passage1 nor indeed with the ,christian life4 ,the amputation of an #aba arm that steals is no sure guaranty of the removal of the desire to steal2 nor would the plucking out of a lustful eye do away with the lust which uses the eye for an instrument4 ,with this should be classed also the following commands3 ,whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek1 turn to him the other also4 ,if any man will sue thee at the law1 and take away thy coat1 let him have thy cloak also2 and whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile1 go with him twain4#b ,the command to give the coat and the cloak to a disputant1 rather than to go to law with him1 will seem much more perplexing when it is understood that these words mean the under garment and the upper garment4 ,the ,orientals are not in the habit of wearing a coat and a cloak or overcoat4 ,in the ,arabic version we have the thaub 7th as in throw7 and the rada'4 ,the thaub is the main article of clothing--the ample gown worn over a shirt next to the body4 ,the rada' is the cloak worn #abb on occasions over the thaub4 ,the ,scriptural command literally is1 ,to one who would quarrel with thee and would take thy thaub1 give him the rada' also4 ,it may be clearly seen here that literal compliance with this admonition would leave the non-resistant person1 so far as clothes are concerned1 in a pitiable condition4 ,the concluding portion of this paragraph in the fifth chapter of ,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel--the forty-second verse--presents another difficulty4 ,it says1 ,give to him that asketh thee1 and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away4 ,of all those whom ,i have heard speak disparagingly of this passage ,i particularly recall a lawyer1 whom ,i knew in a ,western ,state1 whose dislike for these words of ,christ amounted almost to a mental affliction4 ,it seems to me that on every single occasion when he and ,i discussed the ,scriptures together1 or spoke of ,christianity1 ,i found him armed with this passage as his most effective weapon against the innocent ,nazarene4 ,what was ,jesus thinking of1 he would say1 when he #abc uttered these words8 ,what would become of our business interests and financial institutions if we gave to every one that asked of us1 and lent money without good security to every ,tom1 ,dick1 and ,harry8 ,the thought involved in this text suffers from the unconditional manner in which it is presented1 and which gives it its ,oriental flavor4 ,seeing that he was addressing those who knew what he meant1 the writer did not deem it necessary to state exactly the reason why this command was given4 ,it seems1 however1 that when ,jesus spoke those words he had in mind the following passage3 ,and if thy brother be waxed poor1 and his hand fail with thee2 then thou shalt uphold him3 as a stranger and a sojourner shall he live with thee4 ,take thou no interest of him or increase1 but fear thy ,god3 that thy brother may live with thee4 ,thou shalt not give him thy money upon interest1 nor give him thy victuals for increase4#c ,according to this legal stipulation1 an ,israelite could not #abd lawfully charge a fellow ,israelite interest on a loan4 ,therefore1 as a matter of business1 the money-lenders preferred to lend their money to the ,gentiles1 from whom they were permitted to take interest1 and to turn away from borrowers of their own race4 ,and as the teachers of ,israel of his day often assailed ,jesus for his non-observance of the law1 he in turn never failed to remind them of the fact that their own practices did greater violence to the law than his own liberal interpretation of it in the interest of man4 ,from all that ,i know of ,oriental modes of thought and life ,i cannot conceive that ,jesus meant by all these sayings to give brute force the right of way in human life4 ,he himself drove the traders out of the temple by physical force4 ,these precepts were not meant to prohibit the use of force in self-defense and for the protection of property1 but were given as an antidote to that relentless law of revenge which required an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth4 ,the ,master does not preach a gospel #abe of helplessness1 but enjoins a manly attitude toward peace and concord1 in place of a constantly active desire for vengeance and strife4 ,again let me say that an ,oriental expects to be judged chiefly by what he means and not by what he says4 ,as a rule1 the ,oriental is not altogether unaware of the fact that1 as regards the letter1 his statements are often sadly lacking in correctness4 ,but ,i venture to say that when a person who is conversing with me knows that ,i know that what he is saying is not exactly true ,i may not like his manner of speech1 yet ,i cannot justly call him a liar4 ,a neighbor of mine in a ,mount ,lebanon village makes a trip to ,damascus and comes to my house of an evening to tell me all about it4 ,he would not be a ,syrian if he did not give wings to his fancy and present me with an idealistic painting of his adventure1 instead of handing me a photograph4 ,i listen and laugh and wonder4 ,i know his statements are not wholly correct1 and he knows exactly how ,i feel about it4 ,we both are aware1 however1 that #abf the proceedings of the evening are not those of a business transaction1 but of an entertainment4 ,my friend does not maliciously misrepresent the facts2 he simply loves to speak in poetic terms and is somewhat inhospitable to cross-examination4 ,certainly we would not buy and sell sheep and oxen and fields and vineyards after that fashion1 but we like to be so entertained4 ,beyond the wide margin of social hospitality and the latitude of intellectual tolerance1 ,i am aware of the fact that in all the flourish of metaphor and simile1 what my visitor really meant to say was either that his trip to ,damascus was pleasant or that it was hazardous1 and that there were many interesting things to see in that portion of the world2 all of which was indubitably true4 ,while on a visit to ,syria1 after having spent several years in this country1 where ,i had lived almost exclusively with ,americans1 ,i was very strongly impressed by the decidedly sharp contrast between the ,syrian and the ,american modes of thought4 ,the years had worked many #abg changes in me1 and ,i had become addicted to the more compact phraseology of the ,american social code4 ,in welcoming me to his house1 an old friend of mine spoke with impressive cheerfulness as follows3 ,you have extremely honored me by coming into my abode menzel1 ,i am not worthy of it4 ,this house is yours2 you can burn it if you wish4 ,my children also are at your disposal2 ,i would sacrifice them all for your pleasure4 ,what a blessed day this is1 now that the light of your countenance has shone upon us2 and so forth1 and so on4 ,i understood my friend fully and most agreeably1 although it was not easy for me to translate his words to my ,american wife without causing her to be greatly alarmed at the possibility that the house would be set on fire and the children slain for our pleasure4 ,what my friend really meant in his effusive welcome was no more or less than what a gracious ,american host means when he says1 ,i am delighted to see you2 please make yourself at home4 #abh ,had the creed-makers of ,christendom approached the ,bible by way of ,oriental psychology1 had they viewed the ,scriptures against the background of ,syrian life1 they would not have dealt with ,holy ,writ as a jurist deals with legislative enactments4 ,again1 had the unfriendly critics of the ,bible real acquaintance with the land of its birth1 they would not have been so sure that the ,bible was a mass of impossibilities4 ,the sad fact is that the ,bible has suffered violence from literalists among its friends1 as from its enemies4 ,for example1 in their failure to heal a sick lad#d the disciples came to ,jesus and asked him why they could not do the beneficent deed4 ,according to the ,revised and the ,arabic versions1 the ,master answered1 ,because of your unbelief2 for verily ,i say unto you1 ,if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed1 ye shall say unto this mountain1 ,remove hence to yonder place1 and it shall remove4 ,colonel ,robert ,ingersoll never tired of challenging the ,christians #abi of ,america to put this scripture to a successful test1 and thus convince him that the ,bible is inspired4 ,in the face of such a challenge the believer is likely to feel compelled to admit that the church does not have the required amount of faith1 else it could remove mountains4 ,to one well acquainted with the ,oriental manner of speech this saying was not meant to fix a rule of conduct1 but to idealize faith4 ,in order to do this in real ,syrian fashion1 ,jesus spoke of an infinitesimal amount of faith as being capable of moving the biggest object on earth4 ,his disciples must have understood him clearly1 because we have no record that they ever tried to remove mountains by faith and prayer4 ,it would be most astounding1 indeed1 if ,christ really thought that those disciples1 who forsook all and followed him1 had not as much faith as a grain of mustard seed1 and yet said to them1 ,ye are the light of the world4 ,ye are the salt of the earth4 ,of a similar character is the ,master's saying1 #acj ,it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle1 than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of ,god1#e which has quickened the exegetical genius of commentators to mighty efforts in expounding the ,scriptures4 ,judging by the vast number of persons in this country who have asked my opinion1 as a ,syrian1 concerning its correctness1 and the fact that ,i have myself seen it in print1 the following interpretation of this passage must have been much in vogue4 ,the walled cities and feudal castles of ,palestine1 the explanation runs1 have large gates4 ,because of their great size1 such gates are opened only on special occasions to admit chariots and caravans4 ,therefore1 in order to give pedestrians thoroughfare1 a smaller opening about the size of an ordinary door is made in the center of the great gate1 near to the ground4 ,now this smaller door through which a camel cannot pass is the eye of the needle mentioned in the ,gospel4 #aca ,i once heard a ,sunday-,school superintendent explain this passage to his scholars by saying that a camel could pass through this eye of a needle--meaning the door--if he was not loaded4 ,therefore1 and by analogy1 if we cast off our load of sin outside1 we can easily enter into the kingdom of heaven4 ,were the camel and the gate left out1 this statement would be an excellent fatherly admonition4 ,there is perhaps no gate in the celestial city large enough to admit a man with a load of sin strapped to his soul4 ,however1 the chief trouble with these explanations of the eye-of-the-needle passage is that they are wholly untrue4 ,this saying is current in the ,east1 and in all probability it was a common saying there long before the advent of ,christ4 ,but ,i never knew that small door in a city or a castle gate to be called the needle's eye2 nor indeed the large gate to be called the needle4 ,the name of that door1 in the common speech of the country1 is the plum1 and ,i am certain the #acb ,scriptural passage makes no reference to it whatever4 ,the ,koran makes use of this expression in one of its purest classical ,arabic passages4 ,the term employed here--sm-el-khiat--can mean only the sewing instrument1 and nothing else4 ,nothing can show more clearly the genuine ,oriental character of this ,new ,testament passage and that of the ,teacher who uttered it1 than the intense positiveness of its thought and the unrestrained flight of its imagery4 ,i can just hear the ,master say it4 ,jesus' purpose was to state that it was extremely difficult for them that trust in riches to enter into the ,kingdom of ,god4#f ,to this end he chose the biggest animal and the smallest opening known to his people and compared the impossibility of a camel passing through the eye of a needle with that of a man weighted down with earthly things becoming one with ,god4 ,the ,master's rebuke of the scribes and pharisees1 #acc ,ye blind guides1 which strain at a gnat and swallow a camel1#g expresses a similar thought in a different form and connection4 ,there is no need here to puzzle over the anatomical problem as to whether the throat of a ,pharisee was capacious enough to gulp a camel down4 ,the strong and agreeable ,oriental flavor of this saying comes from the sharp contrast between the size of the gnat and that of the camel4 ,so the ,master employed it in order to show the glaring contradictions in the precepts and practices of the priests of his day1 who tithed mint and rue1 but passed over judgment and the love of ,god4 ,one of the most interesting examples of ,oriental speech is found in the eighteenth chapter of ,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel1 the twenty-first verse3 ,then came ,peter and said to him1 ,lord how oft shall my brother sin against me1 and ,i forgive him8 till seven times8 ,jesus saith unto him1 ,i say not unto thee1 until seven times2 but1 until seventy times seven4 ,did ,jesus #acd really mean that an offender should be forgiven four hundred and ninety times8 ,would it be to the interest of the offender himself and to society at large to forgive an embezzler1 a slanderer or a prevaricator four hundred and ninety times8 ,is not punishment which is guided by reason and sympathy1 and whose end is corrective1 really a great aid in character-building8 ,let us try to interpret this passage with reference to certain scenes in ,jesus' own life4 ,in the sixteenth chapter of ,matthew1 the twenty-first verse1 we read3 ,from that time forth began ,jesus to show unto his disciples1 how that he must go unto ,jerusalem1 and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes1 and be killed1 and be raised again the third day4 ,then ,peter took him1 and began to rebuke him1 saying1 ,lord3 this shall not be unto thee4 ,but he turned1 and said unto ,peter1 ,get thee behind me1 ,satan3 thou art an offence to me3 for thou savourest not the things that be of ,god1 but those that be of men4 ,in the second chapter of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel1 #ace the thirteenth verse1 we are told3 ,and the ,jews' passover was at hand1 and ,jesus went up to ,jerusalem1 and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves1 and the changers of money sitting3 and when he had made a scourge of small cords1 he drove them all out of the temple1 and the sheep1 and the oxen2 and poured out the changers' money1 and overthrew the tables2 and said unto them that sold doves1 ,take these things hence2 make not my ,father's house an house of merchandise4 ,the forgiving seventy times seven did not apply1 as it seems1 in these cases4 ,in the very chapter from which this saying comes1#h the ,master gives us two superb examples of certain and somewhat swift retribution for offenses4 ,in the fifteenth verse1 he says3 ,moreover1 if thy brother shall trespass against thee1 go tell him his fault between thee and him alone3 if he shall hear thee1 thou hast gained thy brother4 ,but if he will not hear thee1 then take with thee one or two more1 that in the mouth #acf of two or three witnesses every word may be established4 ,and if he neglect to hear them1 tell it unto the church2 but if he neglect to hear the church1 let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican4 ,the parable of the certain king and the wicked servant follows immediately the seventy times seven passage4 ,therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king1 which would take account of his servants4 ,and when he had begun to reckon1 one was brought unto him1 which owed him ten thousand talents4 ,but forasmuch as he had not to pay1 his lord commanded him to be sold1 and his wife1 and children1 and all that he had1 and payment be made4 ,the servant therefore fell down and worshipped him1 saying1 ,lord1 have patience with me1 and ,i will pay thee all4 ,then the ,lord of that servant was moved with compassion1 and loosed him1 and forgave him the debt4 ,but the same servant went out1 and found one of his fellowservants1 which owed him an hundred pence3 and he laid hands on him1 #acg and took him by the throat1 saying1 ,pay me that thou owest4 ,and his fellowservant fell down at his feet1 and besought him1 saying1 ,have patience with me1 and ,i will pay thee all4 ,and he would not3 but went and cast him into prison1 till he should pay the debt4 ,so when his fellowservants saw what was done1 they were very sorry1 and came and told unto their lord all that was done4 ,then his lord1 after that he had called him1 said unto him1 ,o thou wicked servant1 ,i forgave thee all that debt1 because thou desiredst me3 shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant1 even as ,i had pity on thee8 ,and his lord was wroth1 and delivered him to the tormentors1 till he should pay all that was due unto him4 ,so likewise shall my heavenly ,father do also unto you1 if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses4 ,now as a matter of fact the lord of the wicked servant did not forgive him seventy times seven1 but delivered him to the tormentors for his first offense4 ,will the heavenly ,father do #ach likewise8 ,do we not have irreconcilable contradictions in these ,scriptural passages8 ,no doubt there are difficulties here4 ,but once the seventy-times-seven passage is clearly understood1 the difficulties will1 ,i believe1 disappear4 ,in harmony with his legalistic preconception1 ,peter chose the full and sacred number seven as a very liberal measure of forgiveness4 ,apparently ,jesus' purpose was to make forgiveness a matter of disposition1 sympathy1 and discretion1 rather than of arithmetic4 ,to this end he made use of an ,oriental saying which meant indefiniteness1 rather than a fixed rule4 ,this saying occurs in one of the most ancient ,old ,testament narratives1 and1 most fittingly1 in a bit of poetry3#i ,and ,lamech said unto his wives3 ,adah and ,zillah1 hear my voice2 ,ye wives of ,lamech1 hearken unto my speech3 ,for ,i have slain a man for wounding me1 ,and a young man for bruising me3 ,if ,cain shall be avenged sevenfold ,truly ,lamech seventy and sevenfold4 #aci ,in both ,testaments the meaning of the saying is the same--indefiniteness4 ,it is one of that host of ,bible passages and current ,oriental sayings which must be judged by what they mean1 and not by what they say4 ,the writer of the eighteenth chapter of ,matthew grouped those seemingly contradictory passages together1 because they all dealt with forgiveness4 ,that they must have been spoken under various circumstances is very obvious4 ,the object of the admonition concerning the trespassing brother 7verses #ae-ag7 is to encourage ,christians to reason together in a fraternal spirit about the differences which may arise between them1 and1 if at all possible1 to win the offending member back to the fold4 ,and the object of the parable of the wicked servant is to contrast the spirit of kindness with that of cruelty4 #a ,matt4 v3 #bi-cj4 #b ,matt4 v3 #ci-da4 #c ,lev4 xxv3 #ce2 ,revised ,version4 #d ,matt4 xvii3 #ai4 #e ,matt4 xix3 #bd4 #f ,mark x3 #bd4 #g ,matt4 xxiii3 #bd4 #h ,matt4 xviii4 #i ,gen4 iv3 #bc2 ,revised ,version4 #adj ,,chapter ,,vi ,,speaking ,,in ,,parables ,teaching and conversing in parables and proverbs is a distinctly ,oriental characteristic4 ,a parable is a word picture whose purpose is not to construct a definition or to establish a doctrine1 but to convey an impression4 ,however1 the ,oriental makes no distinction between a proverb and a parable4 ,in both the ,hebrew and the ,arabic1 the word mathel signifies either a short wise saying1 such as may be found in the ,book of ,proverbs1 or a longer utterance1 such as a ,new ,testament parable4 ,in the ,arabic ,bible1 the wise sayings of the ,book of ,proverbs are called amthal1 and the parabolic discourses of ,jesus are also called amthal4 ,this term is the plural of mathel 7parable or proverb74 ,this designation includes also any wise poetical saying1 or any human state of fortune or adversity4 ,thus a very generous man becomes a mathel bilkaram 7a parable of generosity72 and a man #ada of unsavory reputation becomes a mathel beinennass 7a saying or a by-word among the people74 ,in the forty-fourth ,psalm1 the fourteenth verse1 the poet cries3 ,thou makest us a by-word among the nations1 a shaking of the head among the people4 ,a fine illustration of the mathel as a poetical saying1 although not strictly allegorical1 is the opening passage of the twenty-ninth chapter of the ,book of ,job1 where it is said3-- ,and ,job again took up his parable and said1 ,oh that ,i were as in the months of old1 ,as in the days when ,god watched over me2 ,when his lamp shined upon my head1 ,and by his light ,i walked through darkness2 ,as ,i was in the ripeness of my days1 ,when the friendship of ,god was upon my tent2 ,when the ,almighty was yet with me1 ,and my children were about me2 ,when my steps were washed with butter1 ,and the rock poured me out rivers of oil6#a ,where in human literature can we find a passage to surpass in beauty and tenderness this introspective utterance8 #adb ,parabolic speech is dear to the ,oriental heart4 ,it is poetical1 mystical1 sociable4 ,in showing the reason why ,jesus taught in parables1 ,biblical writers speak of the indirect method1 the picture language1 the concealing of the truth from those who had not the understanding1 and so forth4 ,but those writers fail to mention a most important reason1 namely1 the sociable nature of such a method of teaching1 which is so dear to the ,syrian heart4 ,in view of the small value the ,orientals place upon time1 the story-teller1 the speaker in parables1 is to them the most charming conversationalist4 ,why be so prosy1 brief1 and abstract8 ,the spectacular charm and intense concreteness of the parable of the ,prodigal ,son is infinitely more agreeable to the ,oriental mind than the general precept that ,god will forgive his truly penitent children4 ,how romantic and how enchanting to me are the memories of those sehrat 7evening gatherings7 at my father's house6 ,how simple and how human was the homely wisdom of the stories and the parables which were spoken on #adc those occasions4 ,the elderly men of the clan loved to speak of what was said in the ancient days 7qadeem ezzeman74 ,qal el-wathel 7said the parable7 prefaced almost every utterance4 ,and as the speaker proceeded to relate a parable and to reinforce the ancient saying by what his own poetic fancy could create at the time of kindred material1 we listened admiringly1 and looked forward with ecstatic expectation to the maana 7meaning1 or moral74 ,oral traditions1 the ,scriptures1 ,mohammedan literature1 and other rich sources are drawn upon1 both for instruction in wisdom and for entertainment4 ,in picturing the condition of one who has been demoralized beyond redemption1 the entertaining speaker proceeds in this fashion3 ,once upon a time a certain man fell from the housetop and was badly injured4 ,the neighbors came and carried him into the house and placed him in bed4 ,then one of his friends approached near to the injured man and said to him1 ',asaad1 my beloved friend1 how is your condition kief halak8' ,the much-pained man #add opened his mouth and said1 ',my two arms are broken2 my back and one of my legs are broken2 one of my eyes is put out2 ,i am badly wounded in the breast1 and feel that my liver is severed4 ,but ,i trust that ,god will restore me4' ,whereupon his friend answered1 ',asaad1 ,i am distressed4 ,but if this is your condition1 it will be much easier for ,god to make a new man to take your place than to restore you6' ,one of the most beautiful parables ,i know1 and which ,i often heard my father relate1 bears on the subject of partiality1 and is as follows3-- ,once upon a time there were two men1 the one named ,ibrahim1 the other ,yusuf4 ,each of the men had a camel4 ,it came to pass that when ,yusuf fell sick he asked of his neighbor ,ibrahim1 who was about to journey to ,alappo1 to take his camel with him also1 with a load of merchandise4 ,yusuf begged ,ibrahim to treat the camel in exactly the same manner as he did his own1 and promised him that if ,god kept him alive until he came back he would repay him both the good deed1 and the cost of the #ade camel's keep4 ,ibrahim accepted the trust1 and took his journey to ,alappo1 with the two camels4 ,upon his return ,yusuf saw that his own camel did not look so well as ,ibrahim's4 ,so he spoke to his friend3 ',ibrahim1 by the life of ,god1 what has happened to my camel8 ,he is not as good as your camel4 ,o ,ibrahim1 did you care for my camel as you did for your camel8' ,then ,ibrahim answered and said1 ',by the life of ,god1 ,o ,yusuf1 ,i fed1 and watered1 and groomed your camel as ,i did my camel4 ,god witnesseth between us1 ,yusuf1 this is the truth4 ,but ,i will say to you1 you my eyes1 my heart1 that when night came and ,i lay me down on my cloak to sleep between the two camels1 ,i placed my head nearer to my camel than to yours4' ,it was the desirableness to ,orientals of this type of speech which prompted the writer of the ,gospel of ,matthew to say of ,jesus1 ,and without a parable spake he not unto them4#b ,this utterance itself is characteristically #adf ,oriental4 ,as a matter of fact1 ,jesus did often speak to the multitude without parables4 ,but his strong tendency to make use of the parable1 and its agreeableness to his hearers1 seemed to the ,scriptural writer to be a sufficient justification for his sweeping assertion4 ,of the ,new ,testament parables some are quoted in this work in connection with other subjects than that with which this chapter deals4 ,i will mention here a few more of these sayings as additional illustrations of the present subject1 and with reference to the allusions to ,oriental life which they contain4 ,in the thirteenth chapter of ,matthew1 we have the parable of the wheat and the tares3 ,the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field3 but while men slept1 his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat1 and went his way4 ,but when the blade was sprung up1 and brought forth fruit1 then appeared the tares also4 ,the tare 7zewan7 is a grain which when ground with the wheat and eaten causes dizziness #adg and nausea1 a state much like seasickness4 ,for this reason this plant is hated by the ,syrians1 although they use tares very extensively as chicken feed4 ,wheat merchants are likely to sell kameh mizwen 7wheat mixed with tares7 in hard times1 because they can buy it for less money than pure wheat4 ,i do not believe there is a family among the common people of ,syria which has not suffered at one time or another from tare-sickness4 ,having tasted the gall of this affliction a few times myself1 ,i do not at all wonder at the ,syrians' belief that tares must have come into the world by the ,devil4 ,and what ,i still remember with both amusement and sympathy are the heartfelt1 withering imprecations which the afflicted ones always showered upon the seller of the tarey wheat4 ,when the food had taken real effect and the staggering1 nauseated members of a family felt compelled to allow nature to take its course1 the gasps and groans punctuated the ejaculations1 ,may ,god destroy his home6 ,may the gold turn into dust in his hands6 #adh ,may he spend the price of what he sold us at the funerals of his children6--and so forth4 ,do you feel now the force of the allusion to the tares in the parable8 ,so the servants of the householder came and said unto him1 ,sir1 didst not thou sow good seed in thy field8 from whence then hath it tares8 ,he said unto them1 ,an enemy hath done this4 ,enemies are of course always disposed to injure one another1 and in an agricultural country like ,syria harm is often done to property for revenge4 ,so the scattering of tares for this purpose in a newly sown wheat-field is not utterly unnatural or unthinkable4 ,but the reference in the parable is to a belief which is prevalent in some districts in ,syria1 to the effect that in spite of all that the sower can do to prevent it1 the tares do appear mysteriously in fields where only wheat had been sown4 ,some evil power introduces the noxious plant4 ,once ,i listened to a heated controversy on the subject between some ,syrian landowners and an ,american missionary4 ,the landowners clung to the belief #adi that tares would appear in a field even if no tare seed was ever planted in that field1 while the son of the ,west insisted that no such growth could take place without the seed having first been introduced into the field in some natural way4 ,the fight was a draw4 ,the servants said unto him1 ,wilt thou then that we go and gather them up8 ,but he said1 ,nay1 lest while ye gather up the tares1 ye root up also the wheat with them4 ,the attempt is often made to pull up the hated tares from among the wheat1 but in vain4 ,the concluding admonition in the parable may well be taken to heart by every hasty reformer of the type of a certain regenerator of society1 who1 when asked to proceed slowly1 said1 ,the fact is ,i am in a hurry1 and ,god is not6 ,in the same chapter 7,matt4 ,,xiii7 occurs the parable of the leaven4 ,the kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven1 which a woman took1 and hid in three measures of meal1 till the whole was leavened4 ,the setting of this short #aej parable in ,syrian life is given in another chapter4#c ,but ,i mention it here in order to give my comment on a rather strange interpretation of the parable which came recently to my knowledge4 ,in the course of a conversation ,i had with a prominent ,baptist minister not long since1 he stated to me that certain interpreters assert that the leaven in this parable meant the corruption which has come into the ,christian ,church1 etc4 ,my friend was anxious to know whether to my knowledge the ,syrians associated leaven with corruption4 ,this interpretation echoes an ancient idea of leaven of which modern ,syrians have no knowledge4 ,they hold the leaven in high and reverential esteem4#d ,to them it is the symbol of growth and fecundity4 ,in many of the rural districts of ,syria1 upon approaching the door of her future home the bride is given the khamera 7the lump of leaven7 which she pastes on the upper doorsill and passes under it into the house4 ,as she performs the solemn act her #aea friends exclaim1 ,may you be as blessed and as fruitful as the khamera6 ,however1 it is a well-known fact to readers of ancient records that in the earliest times bread was entirely unleavened4 ,when the ,israelites were roaming tribes they ate and offered to ,jehovah unleavened bread4 ,the ,arab tribes of to-day on the borders of ,syria eat no leavened bread4 ,they believe that it tends to reduce the vitality and endurance of the body4 ,perhaps the real reason for preferring the unleavened bread is that it is much easier to make1 and dispenses with taking care of the lump of leaven between bakings1 which is not so convenient for roaming tribes to do4 ,the use of unleavened bread for so many generations among the ,israelites constituted its sacredness1 and it was the conservatism of religion which still called for unleavened bread for the offering1 even after leavened bread had become universally the daily food of the people4 ,so to the ancients the fermentation in the process of leavening was considered corruption4 #aeb ,it was something which entered into the lump and soured it4 ,the ,new ,testament use of the word leaven as meaning corruption is purely figurative1 and signifies influence1 or bad doctrine4 ,it was in this sense that ,jesus used the word when he said to his disciples3#e ,take heed and beware of the leaven of the ,pharisees and of the ,sadducees2 and again3#f ,take heed1 beware of the leaven of the ,pharisees1 and of the leaven of ,herod4 ,the fact that the disciples did not understand at first what the ,master meant shows that to the general public leaven and corruption were not synonymous terms4 ,had they been1 it is certain that ,jesus never would have said1 ,the kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven4 ,the fifteenth chapter of ,st4 ,luke's ,gospel contains the parables of the lost sheep1 the lost coin1 and the prodigal son4 ,the parable of the lost sheep is discussed in another chapter4#g ,the parable of the lost coin portrays a very familiar scene in the ordinary ,syrian home4 ,what #aec woman1 says the ,master1 having ten pieces of silver1 if she lose one piece1 doth not light a candle1 and sweep the house1 and seek diligently till she find it8 ,and when she hath found it1 she calleth her friends and her neighbors together1 saying1 ,rejoice with me2 for ,i have found the piece which ,i had lost4 ,the candle spoken of here is a little olive-oil lamp--an earthen saucer1 with a protruding lip curled up at one point in the rim for the wick4 ,how often have ,i held that flickering light for my mother while she searched for a lost coin or some other precious object4 ,the common ,syrian house has one door and one or two small windows1 with wooden shutters1 without glass4#h ,consequently the interior of the house is dimly lighted1 especially in the winter season4 ,the scarcity of money in the hands of the people makes the loss of a coin1 of the value of that which is mentioned in the parable 7about sixteen cents71 a sad event4 ,the #aed little house is searched with eager thoroughness--diligently4 ,the straw mats1 cushions1 and sheepskins which cover the floor are turned over1 and the earthen floor swept4 ,the search continues1 with diligence and prayerful expectations1 until the lost coin is found4 ,the ,arabic ,bible states that the gladdened woman calls her women neighbors and friends 7jaratiha wesedikatiha71 saying1 ,rejoice with me2 for ,i have found the piece which ,i had lost4 ,the singling out of the women neighbors is significant here4 ,as a rule the loss of a precious coin by a woman calls her husband's wrath upon her1 regardless of whether the coin had been earned by her or by him4 ,the women friends have a keen fellow-feeling in such matters4 ,they keep one another's secrets from the men1 and rejoice when one of their number escapes an unpleasant situation4 ,the total meaning of this parable is plain as it is most precious4 ,through this common occurrence in a ,syrian home1 ,jesus impresses upon the minds of his hearers1 as well as upon #aee the consciousness of all mankind1 the infinite worth of the human soul1 and the ,father's love and care for it4 ,likewise1 ,i say unto you1 there is joy in the presence of the angels of ,god over one sinner that repenteth4 ,the parable of the prodigal son follows immediately that of the lost coin4 ,a certain man had two sons3 and the younger of them said to his father1 ,father1 give me the portion of goods that falleth to me4 ,and he divided unto them his living4 ,the first thing in this parable to challenge the attention is the father's quick compliance with the request of his son4 ,and he divided unto them his living4 ,the custom of a father dividing his property among his grown sons before his death prevails much more extensively in the ,east than in the ,west4 ,as a rule neither the law nor custom gives legal standing to a will4 ,sometimes the father's wishes with regard to how his property should be divided after his death are carried out by his sons4 ,but as a general rule the father who does not divide his property legally between his sons before his #aef death leaves to them a situation fraught with danger4 ,litigation in such cases is very slow and uncertain4 ,it was such a situation1 no doubt1 which led the man referred to in the twelfth chapter of ,luke1 the thirteenth verse1 to say to ,jesus1 ,master1 speak to my brother1 that he divide the inheritance with me4 ,and he said unto him1 ,man1 who made me a judge or a divider over you8 ,and we may easily infer what ,jesus thought of that particular case from his saying which follows immediately his answer to this man4 ,and he said unto them1 ,take heed1 and beware of covetousness3 for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth4 ,so the father of the prodigal son acted normally when he divided his substance between his two sons4 ,and not many days after the younger son gathered all together1 and took his journey into a far country1 and there wasted his substance with riotous living4 ,the singling out of the younger son for this adventure comports with #aeg a highly cherished ,oriental tradition4 ,the elder son1 who was the first-born male child in this household1 could not very well be made to commit such an act4 ,in a ,syrian family the bikkr 7the first-born son7 stands next to the father in the esteem1 not only of the members of his own household1 but of the community at large4 ,he cannot be supposed to be so rash1 so unmindful of his birthright1 as to break the sacred family circle1 and to waste his inheritance in riotous living4 ,and when he had spent all1 there arose a mighty famine in that land2 and he began to be in want4 ,and he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country2 and he sent him into his fields to feed swine4 ,and he would fain have been filled with the husks that the swine did eat2 and no man gave unto him4 ,to be a swineherd1 or a swine-shepherd1 is the most contemptible occupation an ,oriental can think of4 ,it is no wonder at all to me that the ,gospel writers make the destination of the legion of devils which ,jesus cast out of the #aeh man in the country of the ,gadarenes1 a herd of swine4#i ,you cannot hire a ,syrian to make a pet of a little piggie4 ,if he did1 he would be called ,abu khenzier 7pig man7 for the rest of his life1 and transmit the unenviable title to his posterity1 even unto the third and fourth generation4 ,the word husks in the ,english version is not a correct rendering of the original term4 ,the marginal note in the ,revised ,version reads1 the pods of the carob tree4 ,the ,arabic version says simply kherrb 7carob74 ,the carob tree is very common in the lowlands of ,syria4 ,it is a large tree of dense foliage1 and round1 glossy1 dark-green leaves4 ,the pods it bears measure from five to ten inches in length1 are flat1 and largely horn-shaped4 ,i do not know why the ,english translators of the ,bible called those pods husks4 ,they are sold in almost every town in western ,syria for food4 ,children are very fond of kherrb4 ,some of the pods contain no small amount of sugar4 ,in my boyhood #aei days1 a pocketful of kherrb1 which ,i procured for a penny1 was to me rather a treat4 ,the older people1 however1 do not esteem kherrb so highly as do the children4 ,the bulk of it is so out of proportion to the sugar it contains that its poverty is proverbial in the land4 ,of one whose conversation is luxuriant in words and barren of ideas it is said1 ,it is like eating kherrb2 you have to consume a cord of wood in order to get an ounce of sweet4 ,by eating these pods1 the poor people seem to themselves to have been filled while in reality they have received but little nutrition4 ,therefore kherrb is generally eaten by animals4 ,it may be observed that the saying in the parable1 and he would fain have been filled with kherrb that the swine did eat3 and no man gave unto him1 simply describes the prodigal's poverty4 ,for as a swine-shepherd the kherrb that the swine did eat was certainly very accessible to him4 ,the purpose of the passage is to draw the contrast between the rich parental home which the prodigal had willingly #afj left and the extremely humble fare on which in his wretched state he was compelled to subsist4 ,the return of the prodigal son to his father's house1 impoverished but penitent1 the affectionate magnanimity of the father toward his son1 and the spreading of the feast in honor of the occasion1 are acts of humility and generosity which cannot be said to be exclusively ,oriental4 ,but the command of the father to his servants1 ,bring hither the fatted calf and kill it2 and let us eat and be merry1 brings out the idea of the zebihat 7animal sacrifice7 with which the ,west is not familiar4 ,the ancient custom1 whose echoes have not yet died out in the ,east1 was that the host honored his guest most highly by killing a sheep at the threshold of the house1 upon the guest's arrival1 and inviting him to step over the blood into the house4 ,this act formed the blood covenant between the guest and his host4 ,it made them one4 ,to us one of the most cordial and dignified expressions in #afa inviting a guest1 especially from a distant town1 was1 ,if ,god ever favors us with a visit from you1 we will kill a zebihat6 ,in his great rejoicing in the return of his son1 the father of the prodigal is made to receive him as he would a most highly honored guest4 ,the fatted calf--and not only a sheep--is killed as the zebihat of a new covenant between a loving father and his son1 who was dead and is alive again2 was lost1 and is found4#aj ,the parable of the treasure hid in a field#aa alludes to a very interesting phase of ,syrian thought4 ,again1 the kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hid in a field1 the which when a man hath found1 he hideth1 and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath1 and buyeth that field4 ,i cannot refrain from quoting again in this connection the famous commentator1 ,adam ,clarke4 ,speaking of this parable1 he says3 ,we are not to imagine that the treasure here #afb mentioned1 and to which the gospel salvation is likened1 means a pot or chest of money hidden in the field1 but rather a gold or silver mine1 which he who found out could not get at1 or work1 without turning up the field1 and for this purpose he bought it4 ,mr4 ,wakefield's observation is very just3 ',there is no sense in the purchase of a field for a pot of money1 which he might have carried away very readily and as honestly1 too1 as by overreaching the owner by an unjust purchase4' 444 ,from this view of the subject1 the translation of this verse1 given above1 will appear proper--a hidden treasure1 when applied to a rich mine1 is more proper than a treasure hid1 which applies better to a pot of money deposited there1 which ,i suppose was our translator's opinion2 and kept secret1 or concealed1 will apply better to the subject of his discovery till he made the purchase1 than hideth1 for which there could be no occasion1 when the pot was already hidden1 and the place known only to himself4 ,i have inserted here this double quotation1 #afc italics and all1 in order to show how when the real facts are not known to a writer the temptation to play on words becomes irresistible4 ,in this exposition the simple parable is treated as a legal document4 ,every word of it is subjected to careful scrutiny4 ,hid is converted into hidden1 and concealed is summoned to supplant hideth1 in order to make the treasure mean a vast deposit of gold ore1 and get the poor ,syrian peasant into the mining business4 ,the facts in the case1 however1 stand opposed to this explanation4 ,i am absolutely safe in saying that every man1 woman1 and child in ,syria understands that this parable refers simply and purely to a treasure of gold and silver which had been buried in a field by human hands4 ,the entanglement of the commentator just quoted in the literary fault of the parable is inexcusable4 ,the ,new ,testament writer might have said1 not that the man in the parable found the treasure1 but that he was led by certain #afd signs to believe that a treasure lay hidden in the field4 ,however1 this is not the ,oriental way of stating things1 nor should the speaker in parables be denied the freedom of the poet and the artist to manipulate the particulars in such a way as to make them serve the central purpose of his production4 ,i could fill a book with the stories of hidden treasures which charmed my boyhood days in ,syria4 ,i have already put into print#ab a detailed account of my personal experience in digging for a hidden treasure1 which will clearly show that the securing of such riches is not always so easy to diggers as the quotation just cited would make one believe4 ,in order to show the attitude of ,syrians in general toward this subject1 ,i will quote the following from my own personal account3-- ,in ,syria it is universally believed that hidden treasures may be found anywhere in the land1 and especially among ancient ruins4 ,this #afe belief rests on the simple truth that the tribes and clans of ,syria1 having from time immemorial lived in a state of warfare1 have hidden their treasures in the ground1 especially on the eve of battles4 ,furthermore1 the wars of the past being wars of extermination1 the vanquished could not return to reclaim their hidden wealth2 therefore the ground is the keeper of vast riches4 ,the tales of the digging and finding of such treasures fill the country4 ,there are thrilling tales of treasures in various localities4 ,gold and other valuables are said to have been dug up in sealed earthen jars1 often by the merest accident1 in the ground1 in the walls of houses1 under enchanted trees1 and in sepulchers4 ,from earliest childhood the people's minds are fed on these tales1 and they grow up with all their senses alert to the remotest suggestions of such possibilities4 ,the writer of the parable did not need to explain the situation to his ,oriental readers4 ,the mere mention of a hidden treasure was #aff sufficient to make them know what the words meant4 ,his supreme purpose was to impress them with the matchless worth of the kingdom of heaven which ,christ came to reveal to the world4 #a ,revised ,version4 #b ,matt4 xiii3 #cd4 #c ,see page #aih4 #d ,see page #aii4 #e ,matt4 xvi3 #f4 #f ,mark viii3 #ae4 #g ,see page #cjh4 #h ,see the author's autobiography1 ,a ,far ,journey1 chap4 #a1 entitled ,my ,father's ,house4 #i ,matt4 viii3 #cb2 ,mark v3 #ac2 ,luke viii3 #cc4 #aj ,for the reason why the mother of the prodigal is not mentioned in the parable1 see pages #bjg and #ccd4 #aa ,matt4 xiii3 #dd4 #ab ,atlantic ,monthly1 ,december1 #aiae4 ,this story1 with other essays1 will soon appear in book form4 #afg ,,chapter ,,vii ,,swearing ,perhaps the one phase of his speech which lays the ,oriental open to the charge of unveracity is his much swearing4 ,of course this evil habit knows no geographical boundaries and no racial limits4 ,however1 probably because of their tendency to be profuse1 intense1 and positive in speech1 the ,orientals no doubt have more than their legitimate share of swearing4 ,but it should be kept in mind that in that part of the world swearing is not looked upon with the same disapproval and contempt as in ,america2 swearing by the name of the ,deity has always been considered the most sacred and solemn affirmation of a statement4 ,it is simply calling ,god to witness that what has been said is the sacred truth4 ,thus in the twenty-first chapter of the book of ,genesis ,abimelech asks ,abraham1 ,now therefore swear unto me here by ,god that thou wilt not deal falsely with me1 nor #afh with my son1 nor with my son's son4 ,and ,abraham said1 ,i will swear4 ,st4 ,paul employs this type of speech in a milder form1 after the ,new ,testament fashion1 in the opening verse of the twelfth chapter of his ,epistle to the ,romans1 where he says3 ,i beseech you1 therefore1 brethren1 by the mercies of ,god1 that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice1 holy1 acceptable unto ,god1 which is your reasonable service4 ,in the opening verse of the ninth chapter of the ,epistle to the ,romans1 ,paul succeeds in an elegant manner in dispensing with swearing altogether1 when he says3 ,i say the truth in ,christ1 ,i lie not1 my conscience also bearing me witness in the ,holy ,ghost4 ,generally speaking1 however1 the custom of swearing after the manner of the ,old ,testament has undergone no change in ,syria since the days of ,abraham4 ,swearing is an integral element in ,oriental speech4 ,instinctively the speaker turns his eyes and lifts his hands toward heaven and says1 ,by ,allah1 what ,i have #afi said is right and true4 ,yeshhedo-,allah ,god witnesseth to the truth of my words4 ,in a similar manner1 and as in a score of places in the ,old ,testament1 the maker of a statement is asked by his hearer to swear by ,god as a solemn assurance that his statement is true and sincere4 ,the ,mohammedan law1 which is the law of modern ,syria1 demands swearing in judicial contests4 ,the judge awards the accuser--that is1 the plaintiff--the right to lead the defendant to any shrine he may choose1 and cause him to swear the yemn 7solemn oath7 as a final witness to his innocence4 ,by this act the plaintiff places his adversary in the hands of the ,supreme ,judge1 whose judgments are true and righteous altogether4 ,a false oath is supposed to bring awful retribution upon its maker and upon his posterity4 ,of such importance is this mode of speech to ,orientals that the ,israelites thought of ,jehovah ,himself as making such affirmations4 ,in the twenty-second chapter of ,genesis we have the words1 ,by myself have ,i sworn1 saith the #agj ,lord4 ,further light is thrown on this point by the explanation given to the verse just quoted in the sixth chapter of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 where it is said1 ,for when ,god made promise to ,abraham1 because he could swear by no greater1 he swore by himself4 ,i have no doubt that this thought of ,god swearing by himself sprang from the custom of ,oriental aristocrats of sealing a vow1 or solemnly affirming a statement1 or an intention to do some daring deed1 by saying1 ,i swear by my head--an oath which1 whenever ,i heard it in my youth1 filled me with awe4 ,thus1 also1 in the sixty-second chapter of ,isaiah we have the words1 ,the ,lord hath sworn by his right hand1 and by the arm of his strength4 ,among the ,mohammedans1 swearing by the most high ,god and by the life of the ,prophet and by the exalted ,koran in affirmation of almost every statement1 is universal4 ,the ,christians swear by ,god1 ,christ1 the ,virgin1 the ,cross1 the ,saints1 the repose of their dead1 the ,holy ,city1 the ,eucharist1 #aga ,heaven1 great holidays1 and many other names4 ,a father swears by the life of a dear child1 and sons of distinguished fathers swear by them4 ,by the life of my father1 ,i am telling the truth1 is a very common expression4 ,the antiquity of this custom is made evident by the passage in the thirty-first chapter of ,genesis and the fifty-third verse3 ,and ,jacob sware by the fear of his father ,isaac4 ,however1 the word fear does violence to the real meaning of the verse1 which the ,arabic version rescues by saying1 ,and ,jacob swore by the heybet benignity1 or beautiful dignity of his father4 ,he swore by that which he and others loved1 and not feared1 in his father4 ,but what must seem to ,americans utterly ridiculous is the ,oriental habit of swearing by the mustache and the beard1 which is1 however1 one phase of swearing by the head4 ,to swear by one's mustache1 or beard1 means to pledge the integrity of one's manhood4 ,i swear by this1 is said solemnly by a man with his hand upon his mustache4 ,swearing by the #agb beard is supposed to carry more weight because1 as a rule1 it is worn by the older men4 ,to speak disrespectfully of one's mustache or beard1 or to curse the beard of a person's father1 is to invite serious trouble4 ,the sacredness of the beard to ,orientals goes back to the remote past when all the hair of the head and the face was considered sacred4 ,growing a beard is still esteemed a solemn act in ,syria1 so much so that1 having let his beard grow1 one cannot shave it off without becoming a by-word in the community4 ,to speak of the scissors or of a razor in the presence of one wearing a beard1 especially if he be a priest1 or of the aristocracy1 is considered a deep insult to him4 ,such unseemly conduct seldom fails to precipitate a fight4 ,in #b ,samuel1 the tenth chapter1 fourth verse1 we have the record of ,hanun's disgraceful treatment of ,david's men1 whom he had thought to be spies4 ,wherefore ,hanun took ,david's servants1 and shaved off the one half of their beards1 and cut off their garments in the middle1 even to their buttocks1 #agc and sent them away4 ,when they told it unto ,david1 he sent to meet them1 because the men were greatly ashamed3 and the king said1 ,tarry at ,jericho until your beards be grown1 and then return4 ,it is because of this ancient conception of the hair that the ,syrians still swear by the mustache and the beard1 although the majority of them know not the real reason why they do so4 ,i remember distinctly how proud ,i was in my youth to put my hand upon my mustache1 when it was yet not even large enough to be respectfully noticed1 and swear by it as a man4 ,i recall also to what roars of laughter ,i would provoke my elders at such times1 to my great dismay4 ,here it may easily be seen that swearing in the ,orient had so lost its original sacredness and become so vulgar1 even as far back as the time of ,christ1 that ,he deemed it necessary to give the unqualified command1 ,swear not at all3 neither by heaven1 for it is ,god's throne1 nor by the earth1 for it is his footstool3 neither by #agd ,jerusalem1 for it is the city of the great ,king4 ,neither shalt thou swear by thy head1 because thou canst not make one hair white or black4 ,but let your communication be yea1 yea2 nay1 nay2 for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil4 ,this was perhaps the most difficult command to obey that ,jesus ever gave to his countrymen4 #age ,,chapter ,,viii ,,four ,,characteristics ,of the other characteristics of ,oriental speech1 ,i wish to speak of four before ,i bring this part of my book to a close4 ,the first1 the many and picturesque dialects4 ,the entire absence of the public school1 the scarcity of other educational institutions1 as well as of books and periodicals1 and the extreme slowness of transportation1 have always tended to perpetuate the multitude of dialects in the speech of the ,syrian people4 ,the common language of the land is the ,arabic1 which is divided into two types--the classical and the common1 or the language of learning and that of daily speech4 ,the classical language is one1 but the common language is a labyrinth of dialects4 ,each section of that small country has its lehjah 7accent71 and it is no exaggeration to say that each town within those sections has a lehjah of its own4 ,certain letters of the #agf alphabet are also sounded differently in different localities4 ,thus1 for an example1 the word for stood is pronounced qam in certain localities1 and aam in others4 ,the word for male is pronounced zeker by some communities1 and deker by others4 ,that such a state of things prevailed also in ancient ,israel and in ,new ,testament times is very evident4 ,in the twelfth chapter of the ,book of ,judges we have the record of a fight between the ,gileadites and the ,ephraimites1 in which we find the following statement3 ,and the ,gileadites took the passages of ,jordan before the ,ephraimites3 and it was so1 that when those ,ephraimites which were escaped said1 ,let me go over2 that the men of ,gilead said unto him1 ,art thou an ,ephraimite8 ,if he said1 ,nay2 then said they unto him1 ,say now ,shibboleth3 and he said ,sibboleth3 for he could not frame to pronounce it right4 ,then they took him1 and slew him4 ,this simple means of identification might be used in present-day ,syria with equal success4 #agg ,in the fourteenth chapter of ,st4 ,mark's ,gospel we have another striking illustration of this characteristic of ,oriental speech1 in ,peter's experience in the palace of the high priest4 ,in the fifty-third verse it is said3 ,and they led ,jesus away to the high priest3 and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes4 ,and ,peter followed him afar off1 even into the palace of the high priest4 ,the record continues 7verses #ff-ga73 ,and as ,peter was beneath in the palace1 there cometh one of the maids of the high priest3 and when she saw ,peter warming himself1 she looked upon him1 and said1 ,and thou also wast with ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,but he denied1 saying1 ,i know not1 neither understand ,i what thou sayest4 ,and he went out into the porch4444 ,and a little after1 they that stood by said again to ,peter1 ,surely thou art one of them3 for thou art a ,galilaean1 and thy speech agreeth thereto4#a ,but he began to curse and to swear1 saying1 ,i know not this man of whom ye speak4 #agh ,poor ,peter6 the more he swore and cursed the more clearly he revealed his identity4 ,his cowardice might have concealed him1 but for his dialect4 ,he spoke the dialect of ,galilee in the city of ,jerusalem1 and so far as the identification of his person was concerned1 even a certificate from the authorities of the town of his birth1 testifying to his being a native of ,galilee1 could not have so effectively served that purpose4 ,the second characteristic is the juvenile habit of imploring in season and out of season when asking a favor4 ,to try to exert undue influence1 virtually to beg in most persuasive tones1 is an ,oriental habit which to an ,american must seem unendurable4 ,of the many illustrations of this custom which fill my memory ,i will relate the following incident1 which ,i once heard a man relate to my father4 ,this man had bought1 for six hundred piasters1 a piece of land which had been given as a nezer 7vow7 to our ,greek ,orthodox ,church4 ,after he had given his note for the #agi sum and secured the deed1 it occurred to him that the price was too high1 and1 being himself a son of the ,church1 that he ought to secure the land for four hundred piasters4 ,so1 as he stated1 he went to ,beyrout1 the seat of our bishop1 where he stayed three days4 ,by constant petitioning1 he secured the privilege of interviewing the bishop four times on the subject4 ,with great glee he stated that at the last interview he refused to rise from his seat at the feet of that long-suffering ecclesiastic until his petition was granted4 ,one of the most striking examples of this characteristic is the parable of the unrighteous judge1 in the eighteenth chapter of ,luke4 ,there was in a city a judge1 which feared not ,god1 neither regarded man3 and there was a widow in that city1 and she came unto him saying1 ,avenge me the original is do me justice of mine adversary4 ,and he would not for a while3 but afterward he said within himself1 ,though ,i fear not ,god1 nor regard man1 yet because this widow troubleth me1 ,i will #ahj avenge her1 lest by her continual coming she weary me4 ,here is a case--by no means a rare exception in that country--where a judge rendered a verdict against his own best judgment in sheer self-defense4 ,and ,i must say that1 knowing such ,oriental tendencies as ,i do1 especially as manifested by widows1 ,i am in deep sympathy with the judge4 ,yet it was this very persistence in petitioning the ,father of all men which gave mankind the lofty psalms and tender prayers of our ,scriptures4 ,it was this persistent filial pleading and imploring which made ,israel turn again and again to the ,god of righteousness and say1 ,we have sinned1 and ask for a deeper revealing of his ways to them4 ,job's cry1 ,though he slay me1 yet will ,i trust in him1 may not be the proper language of modern etiquette1 but it certainly is the language of religion4 ,in the very parable just quoted1 ,jesus recommends to his disciples the insistence of the widow as a means to draw the benediction of heaven upon #aha them1 and to secure for them justification at the hands of the righteous judge4 ,honest seekers after spiritual gifts should not be averse to imitating this ,oriental trait4 ,they should never be afraid to come to their ,father again and again for his gracious blessing1 or refrain from storming the gates of heaven with prayer4 ,the third characteristic of ,oriental speech is its intimacy and unreserve4 ,mere implications which are so common to reserved and guarded speech leave a void in the ,oriental heart4 ,it is because of this that the ,orientals have always craved signs and wonders1 and interpreted natural phenomena in terms of direct miraculous communications from ,god to convince them that ,he cared for them4 ,although ,gideon was speaking with ,jehovah ,himself1 who promised to help him to save his kinsmen from the ,midianites1 he asked for a more tangible1 more definite sign4 ,we are told in the sixth chapter of ,judges1 thirty-sixth verse3 ,and ,gideon said unto ,god1 ,if thou wilt save ,israel by mine hand1 as thou hast spoken1 behold1 ,i will put a #ahb fleece of wool on the threshing-floor2 if there be dew on the fleece only1 and it be dry upon all the ground1 then shall ,i know that thou wilt save ,israel by mine hand1 as thou hast spoken4 ,and it was so4 ,but ,gideon1 still unsatisfied1 speaks again in childlike simplicity and intimacy2 ,let not thine anger be kindled against me1 and ,i will speak but this once3 let me make trial1 ,i pray thee1 but this once with the fleece2 let it now be dry only upon the fleece1 and upon all the ground let there be dew4 ,and ,god did so that night4 ,it is not at all uncommon for old and tried friends in ,syria to give and ask for affectionate assurances1 that they do love one another4 ,such expressions are the wine of life4 ,especially when new confidences are exchanged or great favors asked1 a man turns with guileless eyes to his trusted friend and says1 ,now you love me2 ,i say you love me1 don't you8 ,my soul1 my eyes1 answers the other1 you know what is in my heart toward you2 you know and the ,creator knows6 ,then the request is made4 #ahc ,one of the noblest and tenderest passages in the ,new ,testament1 a passage whose spirit has fed the strength of the ,christian missionaries throughout the ages1 is that portion of the twenty-first chapter of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel where ,jesus speaks to ,peter in this intimate ,syrian fashion4 ,how sweet and natural it sounds to a son of the ,east6 ,so when they had dined1 ,jesus saith to ,simon ,peter1 ,simon1 son of ,jonas1 lovest thou me8 ,how characteristic also is ,peter's answer1 ,yea1 ,lord2 thou knowest that ,i love thee4 ,then came the precious request1 ,feed my lambs4 ,three times did the affectionate ,master knock at the door of ,peter's heart1 till the poor impetuous disciple cried1 ,lord1 thou knowest all things2 thou knowest that ,i love thee4 ,jesus saith unto him1 ,feed my sheep4 ,the fourth characteristic of ,oriental speech is its unqualified positiveness4 ,outside the small circles of ,europeanized ,syrians1 such qualifying phrases as in my opinion1 so it seems to me1 as ,i see it1 and the like1 are #ahd almost entirely absent from ,oriental speech4 ,the ,oriental is never so cautious in his speech as a certain ,american editor of a religious paper1 who in speaking of ,cain described him as the alleged murderer of ,abel6 ,such expressions1 also1 are rarely used in the ,bible1 and then only in the ,new ,testament1 in which ,greek influence plays no small part4 ,thus in the seventh chapter of his second ,epistle to the ,corinthians1 ,paul1 in giving his opinion on marriage said1 ,i suppose1 therefore1 that this is good for the present distress1 and so forth4 ,i am not aware that this form of speech is used anywhere in the entire ,old ,testament4 ,the language of the ,oriental is that of sentiment and conviction1 and not of highly differentiated and specialized thought4 ,when you say to him1 ,i think this object is beautiful1 if he does not think it is so1 he says1 ,no1 it is not beautiful4 ,although he is expressing his own individual opinion1 he does not take the trouble to make that perfectly clear3 if an object is not beautiful to him1 it is not beautiful4 #ahe ,from an intellectual and social standpoint1 this mode of speech may be considered a serious defect4 ,so do children express themselves4 ,but it should be kept in mind that the ,oriental mind is that of the prophet and the seer1 and not of the scientist and the philosopher4 ,it is the mind which has proven the most suitable transmissive agency of divine revelation4 ,when the seer beholds a vision of the things that are eternal1 he cannot speak of it as a supposition or a guess1 or transmit it with intellectual caution and timidity4 ,thus saith the ,lord4 ,the word of the ,lord came unto me saying1 ,son of man1 prophesy4 ,when we speak of the deepest realities of life1 we do not beset our utterances with qualifying phrases4 ,true love1 deep sorrow1 a real vision of spiritual things transcend all speculative speech2 they press with irresistible might for direct and authoritative expression4 ,take for an example ,jesus' matchless declaration3 ,the ,spirit of the ,lord is upon me1 because he hath anointed me to preach the #ahf gospel glad tidings to the poor2 he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted1 to preach deliverance to the captives1 and recovering of sight to the blind1 to set at liberty them that are bruised1 to preach the acceptable year of the ,lord4#b ,how would this great utterance sound if given in the nice1 cautious language of an up-to-date thinker8 ,what force would it carry if put in this form1 ,it seems to me1 although ,i may be entirely mistaken1 that something like what may be termed the ',spirit of the ,lord' is upon me1 and ,i feel that1 in my own limited way1 ,i must preach the ,gospel8 ,of course reckless1 dogmatic assertions from the pulpit are never wise nor profitable4 ,ultimately1 whether in the realms of science or spiritual experience1 the facts are the things which will count4 ,nevertheless1 it must be admitted that the modern pulpit suffers to a large extent from overcautiousness4 ,by many ministers the facts are evaluated more in an intellectual than in a spiritual sense4 ,hence that #ahg cautiousness in utterance which is seriously threatening the spirit of prophecy and the authority of real spiritual experience in the religious teachers of the present day4 ,legitimate intellectual caution should never be allowed to degenerate into spiritual timidity1 nor the knowledge of outward things to put out the prophetic fire in the soul4 ,there is1 no doubt1 much food for thought in the following legend4 ,it is said of a preacher1 who was apparently determined not to make rash statements1 that in speaking to his people on repentance he had this for his final word3 ,if you do not repent1 as it were1 and be converted1 in a measure1 you will be damned1 to a certain extent4 ,the congregation that has such a preacher is damned already6 ,and ,i perceive some difference between such a preacher and ,him who says1 ,verily1 ,i say unto you1 except ye be converted1 and become as little children1 ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven4#c ,this seeming weakness in ,oriental speech #ahh and in the ,bible is in reality tremendous spiritual strength4 ,through our sacred ,scriptures we hear the voices of those great ,oriental prophets who spoke as they saw and felt2 as seers1 and not as logicians4 ,and it was indeed most fortunate for the world that the ,bible was written in an age of instinctive listening to the divine ,voice1 and in a country whose juvenile modes of speech protected the rugged maxims of the ,scriptures from the weakening influences of an overstrained intellectualism4 #a ,see also ,matt4 xxvi3 #gc4 #b ,luke iv3 #ah4 #c ,matt4 xviii3 #c4 #aia ,,part ,,iii ,,bread ,,and ,,salt ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,sacred ',,aish ,to an ,oriental the phrase bread and salt is of sacred import4 ,the saying1 ,there is bread and salt between us1 which has been prevalent in the ,east from time immemorial1 is equal to saying1 ,we are bound together by a solemn covenant4 ,to say of one that he knows not the significance of bread and salt is to stigmatize him as a base ingrate4 ,a noble foe refuses to taste the salt of his adversary--that is1 to eat with him--so long as he feels disinclined to be reconciled to him4 ,such a foe dreads the thought of repudiating the covenant which the breaking of bread together forms4 ,in the rural districts of ,syria1 much more than in the cities1 is still observed the ancient custom that a man on an important mission should not eat his host's bread until the errand is made known4 ,the covenant of bread and salt should not be entered into #aib before the attitude of the host toward his guest's mission is fully known4 ,if the request is granted1 then the meal is enjoyed as a fraternal affirmation of the agreement just made4 ,so in the twenty-fourth chapter of the ,book of ,genesis we are told that ,abraham's servant1 who had gone to ,mesopotamia1 unto the city of ,nahor1 to bring a wife of his master's kindred to his son ,isaac1 refused to eat at ,laban's table before he had told his errand4 ,with characteristic ,oriental hospitality the brother of ,rebekah1 after hearing his sister's story1 sought ,abraham's faithful servant1 and1 behold1 he stood by the camels at the well4 ,and he said1 ,come in1 thou blessed of the ,lord2 wherefore standest thou without8 for ,i have prepared the house1 and room for the camels4 ,and the man came into the house4444 ,and there was set meat before him to eat3 but he said1 ,i will not eat1 until ,i have told mine errand4#a ,the errand having been told1 the servant brought forth jewels of silver1 and jewels of gold1 and raiment1 and #aic gave them to ,rebekah4444 ,and they did eat and drink1 he and the men that were with him4#b ,of all his enemies1 the writer of the forty-first ,psalm considered the familiar friend who went back on his simple covenant to be the worst4 ,yea1 he cries1 mournfully1 mine own familiar friend1 in whom ,i trusted1 which did eat my bread1 hath lifted up his heel against me4 ,as the son of a ,syrian family ,i was brought up to think of bread as possessing a mystic sacred significance4 ,i never would step on a piece of bread fallen in the road1 but would pick it up1 press it to my lips for reverence1 and place it in a wall or some other place where it would not be trodden upon4 ,what always seemed to me to be one of #aid the noblest traditions of my people was their reverence for the 'aish 7bread2 literally1 the life-giver74 ,while breaking bread together we would not rise to salute an arriving guest1 whatever his social rank4 ,whether spoken or not1 our excuse for not rising and engaging in the cordial ,oriental salutation before the meal was ended1 was our reverence for the food 7hirmetel-'aish74 ,we could1 however1 and always did1 invite the newcomer most urgently to partake of the repast4 ,at least once each year1 for many years1 ,i carried the korban 7the bread offering7 to the mizbeh 7altar of sacrifice7 in our village church1 as an offering for the repose of the souls of our dead as well as for our own spiritual security4 ,bread was one of the elements of the holy ,eucharist4 ,the mass always closed with the handing by the priest to the members of the congregation of small pieces of consecrated bread4 ,the ,gospel taught us also that ,christ was the bread of life4 ,the 'aish was something more than mere #aie matter4 ,inasmuch as it sustained life1 it was ,god's own life made tangible for his child1 man1 to feed upon4 ,the ,most ,high himself fed our hunger4 ,does not the ,psalmist say1 ,thou openest thine hand1 and satisfieth the desire of every living thing8 ,where else could our daily bread come from8 #a ,verses #cj-cc4 #b ,verses #ec-ed4 ,the word drink1 which is frequently used in the ,bible in connection with the word eat1 does not necessarily refer to wine drinking4 ,the expression food and drink is current in ,syria1 and means simply board4 ,an employer says to an employee1 ,i will pay you so much wages1 and your food and drink 7aklek washirbek74 ,the drink may be nothing but water4 #aif ,,chapter ,,ii ,,our ,,daily ,,bread ,i have often heard it said by up-to-date religionists in this country that the saying in the ,lord's ,prayer1 ,give us this day our daily bread1 was at best a beggar's lazy petition4 ,it has been suggested that those words should be omitted from the prayer1 because they pertain to material things4 ,and at any rate we can get our daily bread only by working for it4 ,yes2 and the ,oriental understands all that4 ,but he perceives also that by working for his daily bread he does not create it1 but simply finds it4 ,the prayer1 ,give us this day our daily bread is a note of pure gratitude to the ,giver of all good and perfect gifts4 ,the ,oriental does not know material things as the ,occidental knows them4 ,to him organic chemistry does not take the place of ,god4 ,he is1 in his totality1 ,god-centered4 ,his center of gravity is the altar and not the factory1 and back #aig of his prayer for daily bread is the momentum of ages of mystic contemplation4 ,the ,oriental finds kinship1 not with those who go for their daily bread no farther than the bakery1 but with the writer of this modern psalm3-- ,back of the loaf is the snowy flour1 ,back of the flour the mill2 ,back of the mill is the wheat and the shower ,and the sun and the ,father's will4 ,it is not my purpose to exaggerate the piety and moral rectitude of the ,oriental4 ,i am fully aware of the fact that he is lamentably lacking in his efforts to rise to the height of his noblest traditions4 ,nevertheless1 those who know the ,oriental's inner life know also that from seed-time until harvest1 and until the bread is placed upon the family board1 this man's attitude toward the staff of life is essentially religious4 ,in the name of ,god he casts the seed into the soil2 in the name of ,god he thrusts the sickle into the ripe harvest2 in the name of ,god he scatters his sheaves on the threshing floor and grinds his grain at the mill2 and in the name of #aih ,god his wife kneads the dough1 bakes the bread1 and serves it to her family4 ,in my childhood days kneading-day at our house was always of peculiar significance to me4 ,i had no toys or story-books to engage my attention1 and it was with the greatest interest that ,i watched my mother go through the process of kneading4 ,her pious words and actions made kneading a sort of religious service4 ,after making the sign of the cross and invoking the ,holy ,name1 she drew the required quantity of flour out of a small opening near the bottom of the earthen barrel in which the precious meal was stored4 ,it was out of such a barrel that the widow of ,zarephath which belongeth to ,zidon drew the handful of meal she had1 and made of it a cake for ,elijah1 for which favor the fiery prophet prayed that the widow's barrel of meal shall not waste4 ,then my mother packed the flour in the shape of a crescent on one side of the large earthen maajan 7kneading basin7 which is about thirty inches in diameter4 ,she dissolved the #aii salt in warm water1 which she poured in the basin by the embankment of flour4 ,then with a ,god bless she took out the leaven--a lump of dough saved from the former baking--which she had buried in flour to keep it from corruption1 that is1 from overfermentation4 ,this leaven she dissolved carefully in the salt water1 and by slowly mixing the meal with this fluid1 she hid the leaven in the meal4 ,it was this process which ,jesus mentioned very briefly in the parable of the leaven in the thirteenth chapter of ,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel4 ,the kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven1 which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal1 till the whole was leavened4 ,the kneading done1 my mother smoothed the surface of the blessed lump1 dipped her hand in water1 and with the edge of her palm marked a deep cross the whole length of the diameter of the basin1 crossed herself three times1 while she muttered an invocation1 and then covered the basin and left the dough to rise4 ,the same pious attitude was resumed #bjj when the raised dough was made into small loaves1 during the baking1 and whenever the mother of the family put her hand into the basin where the loaves were kept1 to take out bread for her family's needs4 ,does it now seem strange1 unnatural1 or in any way out of harmony with the trend of her whole life1 for such a woman to pray1 ,give us this day our daily bread8 ,shall we receive the gifts and forget the ,giver8 ,however circuitous our way to our daily bread may be1 the fact remains that we do feed on ,god's own life4 ,the earth is the ,lord's and the fullness thereof4 ,the use of iron stoves was unknown to the ,syrians in my childhood days2 and this modern convenience is now used only by some of the well-to-do people in the large cities4 ,the rank and file of the people1 as in the days of ancient ,israel1 still bake their bread at semi-public ovens1 a few of which are found in every village and town4 ,this baking-place is mentioned often in the ,bible1 but the word oven in the ,english translation is somewhat misleading4 ,it #bja is so because the tennr 7translated oven in the ,bible7 is unknown to the ,english-speaking world1 if not to the entire ,occident4 ,the tennr is a huge earthen tube about three feet in diameter and about five feet long2 it is sunk in the ground within a small1 roughly constructed hut4 ,the women bake their bread at the tennr in turn1 certain days being assigned to certain families4 ,the one baking comprises from one hundred to two hundred loaves4 ,the fuel1 which consists of small branches of trees1 and of thistles and straw1 is thrown into the tennr in large quantities4 ,it is to this that ,jesus alludes in the passage1 ,if then ,god so clothe the grass which is to-day in the field1 and to-morrow is cast into the oven1 how much more will he clothe you1 ,o ye of little faith8 ,when ,i recall the sight of a burning tennr1 ,i do not find it difficult to imagine what the old theologians meant by the burning pit4 ,the billows of black smoke1 pierced at intervals by tongues of flame issuing from the deep hole1 convert the chimneyless hut into an active #bjb crater4 ,no one who has seen such a sight can fail to understand what the prophet ,malachi meant when he exclaimed1 ,for1 behold1 the day cometh1 that shall burn as an oven2 and all the proud1 yea1 and all that do wickedly1 shall be stubble4#a ,and no one who has seen that little hut1 virtually plastered with the blackest soot1 can fail to understand the full meaning of that passage in the fifth chapter of the ,book of ,lamentations1 the tenth verse1 which says1 ,our skin was black like an oven1 because of the terrible famine4 ,a large baking is a source of pride as well as a means of security4 ,a ,syrian housewife is proud to have the oven all to herself for a whole day4 ,it is a disgrace--nay1 a curse--to have a small baking1 or to buy bread in small quantity1 one weight at a time4 ,one of the terrible threats to ,israel1 recorded in the twenty-sixth chapter of the ,book of ,leviticus1 the twenty-sixth verse1 is this3 ,when ,i have broken the staff of your bread1 ten women shall #bjc bake your bread in one oven1 and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight3 and ye shall eat and not be satisfied4 ,my mother often admonished us to be thankful that we were not like those who had to buy their bread by weight--that is1 in small quantities4 ,but this saying1 and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight1 may mean also the weighing of the portions delivered to the various members of the family1 in order that no one may receive more than any other1 and that the scanty supply of food may be more carefully doled out4 ,however1 probably because no real famine ever occurred in ,syria within my memory1 ,i never knew of the actual resorting1 within the family circle1 to such severe restrictions in the distribution of the daily food4 ,a similar practice1 however1 prevails among the ,arab tribes in sharing their meager supply of water1 while traveling in the desert4 ,in order to insure equality1 a pebble is placed in the bottom of a small wooden cup into which the water is poured4 ,the draught #bjd which each traveler receives at long intervals is the covering of the pebble1 that is1 only the quantity of water needed just to cover the pebble in the cup4 #a ,mal4 iv3 #a4 #bje ,,chapter ,,iii ,,compel ,,them ,,to ,,come ,,in ,the hospitality of ,orientals is proverbial the world over4 ,and while some ,westerners have an exaggerated idea of ,oriental generosity1 the son of the ,east is not unjustly famous for his readiness to offer to wayfarers the shelter of his roof and his bread and salt4 ,the person who fails to extend such hospitality brings reproach1 not only upon himself1 but upon his whole clan and town4 ,but whether hospitality is extended to strangers or to friends1 it is the man who entertains1 and not the woman4 ,the invitation is extended in the name of the husband alone1 or1 if the husband is not living1 in the name of the eldest son4 ,in the case of a widow who has no male children1 a man relative is asked to act as host4 ,the man of the house should not allow a wayfarer to pass him without offering him a morsel of bread to sustain his heart4 ,so did #bjf ,abraham of old extend hospitality to the three mysterious strangers who came upon him in the plains of ,mamre1 as stated in the eighteenth chapter of ,genesis1 the second and following verses1 ,and he lift up his eyes and looked1 and1 lo1 three men stood by him3 and when he saw them1 he ran to meet them from the tent door1 and bowed himself toward the ground1 and said1 ,my ,lord1 if now ,i have found favor in thy sight1 pass not away1 ,i pray thee1 from thy servant2 444 and ,i will fetch a morsel of bread1 and comfort ye your hearts3 after that ye shall pass on4 ,how natural and how truly ,syrian all this sounds6 ,sarah was not at all slighted because ,abraham did not say1 ,sarah and ,i will be glad to have you stop for lunch with us1 if you can4 ,on the contrary1 she was greatly honored by not being mentioned in the invitation4 ,we have another striking illustration of this ,syrian custom in the parable of the prodigal son1 in the fifteenth chapter of ,st4 ,luke's ,gospel4 ,here we are told that1 when the wayward #bjg boy returned to his father's house1 desolate but penitent1 it was the father who ran out to meet the son and fell on his neck1 and kissed him4 ,it was the father who said to his servants1 ,bring forth the best robe1 and put it on him2 and put a ring on his hand1 and shoes on his feet2 and bring hither the fatted calf1 and kill it2 and let us eat1 and be merry4 ,i know well that the mother of the prodigal could not have been less affectionate nor less effusive in her welcome to her poor son than his father was4 ,but in harmony with the best traditions of the ,east1 and without the least intention of slighting the good mother1 the record takes no notice of her4 ,it should be stated here that the prominent mention in the ,gospels of ,mary and ,martha as ,jesus' friends and entertainers is due to the fact that to those women the ,master was not merely a guest1 but a saint1 nay1 the promised ,one of ,israel4 ,as such ,jesus was a privileged personage4 ,yet--and it is not at all strange in view of ,oriental customs--,jesus took with him none of his women friends and disciples on such #bjh great occasions as the ,transfiguration and the ,last ,supper4 ,to extend hospitality in genuine ,syrian fashion is no small undertaking4 ,brevity on such occasions is the soul of stinginess4 ,oriental effusiveness and intensity of speech are never more strenuously exercised than at such times4 ,the brief form of the ,american invitation1 ,i should be pleased to have you dine with us1 if you can1 however sincere1 would seem to an ,oriental like an excuse to escape the obligation of hospitality4 ,again1 the ready acceptance of an invitation in the ,west would seem to the son of the ,east utterly undignified4 ,although the would-be guest could accept1 he must be as insistent in saying1 ,no1 ,i can't1 as the would-be host in saying1 ,yes1 you must4 ,approaching his hoped-for guest1 a ,syrian engages him in something like the following dialogue1 characterized by a glow of feeling which the translation can only faintly reveal3-- ,ennoble us sherrifna by your presence4 #bji ,i would be ennobled nitsherref but ,i cannot accept4 ,that cannot be4 ,yea1 yea1 it must be4 ,no1 ,i swear against you aksim 'aleik by our friendship and by the life of ,god4 ,i love just to acquaint you with my bread and salt4 ,i swear also that ,i find it impossible gheir mimkin to accept4 ,your bread and salt are known to all4 ,yea1 do it just for our own good4 ,by coming to us you come to your own home4 ,let us repay your bounty to us fadhlek4 ,astaghfero ,allah by the mercy of ,god ,i have not bestowed any bounty upon you worth mentioning4 ,here the host seizes his guest by the arm and with an emphatic1 ,i will not let you go1 pulls at him and would drag him bodily into his house4 ,then the guest1 happy in being vanquished with honor1 consents to the invitation4 ,do you now understand fully the meaning #baj of the passage in the fourteenth chapter of ,luke's ,gospel8 ,a certain man made a great supper1 and bade many 444 and they all with one consent began to make excuse4444 ,and the ,lord said unto the servant1 ,go out into the highways and hedges1 and compel them to come in1 that my house may be filled4#a ,so also did ,lydia1 a seller of purple1 of the city of ,thyatira1 invite the apostles1 who had converted her to the new faith4 ,in the sixteenth chapter of the ,book of ,acts1 the fifteenth verse1 ,paul says1 ,and when she was baptized1 and her household1 she besought us1 saying1 ,if ye have judged me to be faithful to the ,lord1 come into my house1 and abide there4 ,and she constrained us4 ,in the interior towns and villages of ,syria the ancient custom still prevails that1 when a stranger arrives in a town late in the day1 he goes and sits in the open space 7saha74 ,while not designed to be so1 this open space corresponds to the village common4 ,in the ,english ,bible it is called the street4 ,streets1 however1 #baa are unknown to ,syrian towns4 ,sitting in the saha1 the stranger is the guest of the whole village4 ,the citizen who first sees such a wayfarer must invite him to his home in real ,syrian fashion4 ,failing in this1 he brings disgrace1 not only upon himself1 but upon the whole town4 ,it is needless to say that no people ever rise to the height of their ideals1 and that failure to be given to hospitality occurs1 even in the ,east4 ,in the nineteenth chapter of the ,book of ,judges we have the record of a stranger who sat in the saha of a certain village1 but was not offered the usual hospitality very readily4 ,this man was a ,levite1 and1 with his wife1 servant1 and a couple of asses1 was on his way from ,bethlehem toward the side of ,mount ,ephraim4 ,and the sun went down upon them when they were by ,gibeah1 which belongeth to ,benjamin4 ,and they turned aside thither1 to go in and to lodge in ,gibeah3 and when he went in1 he sat him down in a street of the city2 for there was no man that took them into his house to lodging4 ,and1 behold1 there came an old man from #bab his work out of the field at even4444 ,and when he had lifted up his eyes1 he saw a wayfaring man in the street of the city3 and the old man said1 ,whither goest thou8 and whence comest thou8 ,and he said unto him1 ,we are passing from ,bethlehem-,judah toward the side of ,mount ,ephraim 444 but ,i am now going to the house of the ,lord2 and there is no man that receiveth me to house4 ,and in order to add to the shame of the inhospitable village the stranger adds1 ,yet there is both straw and provender for our asses2 and there is bread and wine also for me1 and for thy handmaid the wife1 and for the young man which is with thy servants3 there is no want of any thing4 ,what a rebuke to that community6 ,and the old man said1 ,peace be with thee2 howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me2 only lodge not in the street4 ,so he brought him into his house1 and gave provender unto the asses3 and they washed their feet1 and did eat and drink4 ,the old man saved the name of the town4 #bac ,one of the noblest and most tender utterances of ,job is the thirty-second verse of the thirty-first chapter4 ,here the afflicted patriarch1 in pleading his own cause before the ,most ,high1 says1 ,the stranger did not lodge in the street1 but ,i opened my doors to the traveller4 ,syrian rules of hospitality make it improper for a householder to ask a guest who has suddenly come to him such a question as ,have you had your lunch8 before putting food before him4 ,the guest1 even though he has not had the meal asked about by the host1 considers it below his dignity to make the fact known4 ,upon the arrival of such a visitor1 the householder greets him with the almost untranslatable words1 ,ahlan wa sahlan4 ,literally translated1 these words are kindred and smooth ground2 which1 elucidated further1 mean1 ,you have come not to strangers but to those who would be to you as your kindred are1 and among us you tread smooth and easy ground4 ,and even while the guest is being yet saluted by the man of the house in the #bad protracted manner of ,oriental greeting1 the good wife proceeds to prepare a morsel for the wayfarer1 whatever hour of the day or night it may happen to be4 ,the food then is placed before the guest and he is compelled to eat4 ,there is in the eleventh chapter of ,st4 ,luke's ,gospel a parabolic saying which is uncommonly rich in allusions to ,syrian home life4 ,beginning with the fifth verse we read3 ,and he said unto them1 ,which of you shall have a friend1 and shall go unto him at midnight1 and say unto him1 ,friend1 lend me three loaves2 for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me1 and ,i have nothing to set before him2 and he from within shall answer and say1 ,trouble me not3 the door is now shut1 and my children are with me in bed2 ,i cannot rise and give thee8 ,here we have a man to whom a guest comes at midnight2 he must set something before him1 whether the wayfarer is really hungry or not4 ,the host happens to be short of bread1 and he sets out to borrow a few loaves4 ,owing to the homogeneous character of life in the ,east1 #bae borrowing has been developed there into a fine art4 ,the man at the door asks for three loaves4 ,three of those thin ,syrian loaves is the average number for one individual's meal4 ,it was for this reason that the ,master used this number in the parable1 and not because that was all the bread the occasion required4 ,for obvious reasons1 the host needed to put before his guest more than the exact number of loaves necessary for one adult's meal4 ,perhaps because he is very sleepy1 the man within runs counter to the best ,syrian traditions in his answer4 ,his excuse--that because the door is shut he cannot open it and accommodate his friend--has been a puzzle to a host of ,western readers of the ,bible4 ,could he not have opened the door8 ,or1 as a certain preacher asked in my hearing1 ,could it be possible that the man1 because of fear of robbers in that country1 had a sort of combination lock on his door which could not be easily opened8 ,the simple fact is that in ,syria as a rule the door of a house is never shut1 summer or winter1 until bedtime4 ,the words of my #baf father and mother to me whenever they thought that ,i had remained wakeful--that is1 stayed up--longer than ,i should after they had gone to bed1--,shut the door and go to sleep1--still ring in my ears4 ,what the man within meant was1 not that he could not open the door1 but that at such a late hour1 after the door had been shut1 it was no time to call for such favors as the neighbor asked for4 ,and my children are with me in bed4 ,from this it may be inferred easily that individual beds and individual rooms are well-nigh unknown to the common people of ,syria4 ,the cushion-mattresses are spread side by side in the living room1 in a line as long as the members of the family1 sleeping close together1 require4 ,the father sleeps at one end of the line1 and the mother at the other end1 to keep the children from rolling from under the cover4 ,so the man was absolutely truthful when he said by way of an excuse1 ,my children are with me in bed4 ,in the remaining portion of this parable1 as in that of the unrighteous judge1 ,jesus #bag emphasizes1 by commending to his disciples1 the ,syrian habit of importuning4 ,i say unto you1 though he will not rise and give him1 because he is his friend1 yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth4 ,again1 the ,master gives dignity and elevation to the common customs of his people by using them as means of approach to high spiritual ideals1 when he says1 ,and ,i say unto you1 ask and it shall be given you2 seek1 and ye shall find2 knock1 and it shall be opened unto you4 #a ,verses #af-bc4 #bah ,,chapter ,,iv ,,delaying ,,the ,,departing ,,guest ,the best rules of ,syrian hospitality require that when a guest from a distant town makes it known what day he expects to take his leave1 the host should do his best to trick his visitor into forgetfulness of the time set1 or devise some other means to delay his departure as much as possible4 ,on the day he wishes to depart1 the wayfarer says to his host1 ,your exceeding bounty has covered me1 far above my head2 may ,god perpetuate your house and prolong the lives of your dear ones4 ,may ,he enable me some day to reward you for your boundless generosity4 ,and now ,i who have been so immersed in the sea of your hospitality baher karamek beg you to permit me to depart4 ,then the host1 confessing his unworthiness of such praise and manifesting great surprise at the sudden announcement1 begs his guest to take no thought of departing4 ,the #bai guest insists that he must go1 even though he could stay4 ,the host says1 ,stay1 ,i pray you betrajjak1 until you partake of our noon meal2 then you may depart4 ,after the noon meal the host says1 ,i beg you to consider that the day is already far spent1 and your journey is long1 and the road is dangerous for night travel4 ,tarry until the morrow1 and then go4 ,the same performance takes place on the morrow1 and perhaps another morrow1 until the guest prevails4 ,in the nineteenth chapter of the ,book of ,judges1 in the story of the ,levite mentioned above1 we have a fine example of a generous ,syrian host4 ,his words are so much like those ,i often heard spoken in ,syria on such occasions that it makes me feel homesick to read them4 ,the ancient ,bethlehemite was entertaining his son-in-law1 who had stayed with them three days1 the traditional length of such a visit in the ,east4 ,so the record says3 ,and it came to pass on the fourth day1 when they arose early in the morning1 that he rose up to depart3 and the #bbj damsel's father said unto his son-in-law1 ,comfort thine heart with a morsel of bread1 and afterward go your way4 ,and they sat down1 and did eat and drink both of them together2 for the damsel's father had said unto the man1 ,be content1 ,i pray thee1 and tarry all night1 and let thine heart be merry4 ,and when the man rose up to depart1 his father-in-law urged him3 therefore he lodged there again4 ,and he rose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart3 and the damsel's father said1 ,comfort thine heart1 ,i pray thee4 ,and they tarried until afternoon1#a and they did eat both of them4 ,and when the man rose up to depart1 444 his father-in-law1 the damsel's father1 said unto him1 ,behold1 now the day draweth toward evening1 ,i pray you tarry all night3 444 lodge here1 that thine heart may be merry2 and to morrow get you early on your way1 that thou mayest go #bba home4 ,but the man would not tarry that night1 but he rose up and departed4 ,when an honored guest takes his departure1 as a mark of high regard his host walks with him out of town a distance the length of which is determined by the affectionate esteem in which the host holds his visitor4 ,at times we walked for a whole hour with our departing guest1 and desisted from going farther only at his most urgent request4 ,so in the eighteenth chapter of the ,book of ,genesis we are told that ,abraham's guests rose up from thence1 and looked toward ,sodom3 and ,abraham went with them to bring them on the way4 ,the ,english phrase1 however1 to bring them on the way1 falls far short of expressing the full meaning of the term shy-ya'4 ,pilgrimages to holy places and fraternal feasts--such as are enjoyed on betrothal occasions1 weddings1 baptisms of children1 and great holidays--are practically the only occasions the common people of ,syria have to bring them together4 ,on such occasions the guests #bbb are invited in families2 therefore the number of those who come to the feast is never exactly known in advance4 ,the food is served in large quantities1 but not in such great variety as in the ,west4 ,the table appointments are very simple4 ,there are no flowers1 no lace doilies1 nor the brilliant and sometimes bewildering array of knives1 forks1 and spoons which grace an ,american host's table on such festive occasions4 ,the guests sit close together on the floor1 about low tables1 or trays1 and eat in a somewhat communistic fashion from comparatively few large dishes4 ,if twenty guests are expected1 and thirty come1 they simply enlarge the circle1 or squeeze closer together4 ,their sitting so close to one another makes the breaking of bread together for these friends more truly fraternal4 ,in the third chapter of ,st4 ,mark's ,gospel1 the twentieth verse1 the writer speaks of the large concourse of people who followed ,jesus and his disciples into a certain house4 ,he tells us that the multitude cometh together again1 so that they could not so much as eat bread4 #bbc ,the cross-reference in the ,bible points to the sixth chapter of the same ,gospel1 the thirty-first verse1 where it is said1 ,for there were many coming and going1 and they had no leisure so much as to eat4 ,my opinion is that the two occasions are not the same1 therefore the reference is incorrect4 ,the first passage alludes to the fact that although1 owing to the very simple table appointments among the common people of ,syria1 only little space is required for one to eat his dinner1 the crowd was so dense that not even such space was available4 ,the second passage points to the fact that the ,master's audience was a stream of people coming and going so that his disciples had not leisure enough to eat4 ,the preceding verse and the first half of the verse just quoted say3 ,and the apostles gathered themselves together unto ,jesus1 and told him all things1 both what they had done1 and what they had taught4 ,and he said unto them1 ,come ye yourselves apart into a desert place1 and rest a while4 ,the remainder of the verse gives the reason why ,jesus #bbd felt so concerned about his fatigued and hungry disciples1 by saying1 ,for there were many coming and going1 and they the disciples had no leisure so much as to eat4 ,the ,syrian feels satisfied even on ordinary occasions when he can secure one or two loaves of the thin bread he habitually eats1 and a few olives1 or some other modest delicacy1 for what the ,americans would call a lunch4 ,he needs neither a table nor even a lunch counter to facilitate his eating4 ,he can perform that essential function sitting down on the floor with his legs folded under him1 standing up1 or even walking1 as well as seated at a table4 ,in view of all this there is no little significance in the saying of the ,gospel writer1 ,and the multitude cometh together again1 so that they could not so much as eat bread4 ,in several places in the ,gospels reference is made to ,jesus' sitting at meat4#b ,the marginal note in the ,revised ,version gives the word recline as the real equivalent of the #bbe original ,greek term which is rendered sit in the text4 ,this1 no doubt1 is correct1 so far as the original text is concerned1 but the reference is to a ,greek and not to a ,syrian custom4 ,the ,greeks were in the habit of reclining on couches while eating1 and it is not at all improbable that certain wealthy ,orientals imitated this custom in the time of ,christ1 as certain wealthy ,syrian families of the present time imitate ,european customs4 ,but ,i fail to find1 either within my own experience1 or in the traditions and literature of ,syria1 that reclining at the table was ever countenanced as at all a proper posture2 certainly never among the common people of which the ,master was one4 ,to sit erect on the floor at the low table1 with the legs either folded under the body1 or thrown back as in the act of kneeling1 is the seemly 7laiyik7 posture1 which is ever sung in ,arabic poetry4 ,in this we were instructed from childhood4 ,on unusual occasions1 such as those of sorrow or great joy1 friends might rest their heads on one another's shoulders1 or breasts1 as ,john did at the ,last #bbf ,supper1 but these are rare exceptions4 ,good breeding and reverence for the food require the sitting erect at meat4 ,certain commentators have found the reference to the habit of reclining at meat very serviceable in explaining ,mary's act of anointing ,jesus' feet with nard1 as he sat at supper at her home in ,bethany4 ,in the twelfth chapter of the ,gospel of ,john1 the third verse1 it is said3 ,then took ,mary a pound of ointment of spikenard1 very costly1 and anointed the feet of ,jesus1 and wiped his feet with her hair4 ,a similar incident is mentioned also in the seventh chapter of ,luke1 the thirty-sixth and following verses3#c ,and one of the pharisees desired him that he would eat with him4 ,and he entered into the pharisee's house1 and sat down to meat4 ,and behold1 a woman which was in the city1 a sinner2 and when she knew that he was sitting at meat in the pharisee's house1 she brought an alabaster cruse of ointment1 and standing behind at his feet1 weeping1 she began to wet his #bbg feet with her tears1 and wiped them with the hair of her head1 and kissed his feet1 and anointed them with the ointment4 ,the explanation is that it was convenient for the woman to wash and anoint ,jesus' feet in this manner1 because he was reclining on a couch4 ,what ,i am certain of is that the couch or any elevated seat is not at all necessary in such cases4 ,whenever an ,oriental indulges in the practice of washing his feet he sits on the floor1 as is his custom1 and lifts the feet into the basin of water4 ,this is the only way ,i ever knew in my old home1 and it is no less effective than is the more scientific way of the ,west4 ,king ,james's ,version renders the passage a little more difficult by giving greater definiteness to the woman's position at ,jesus' feet4 ,while the ,revised ,version says1 ,and standing behind at his feet1 the older ,version says1 ,and stood behind him1 etc4 ,yet even here the couch affords no greater advantage than the floor1 because by folding the legs under the body1 the feet are partially visible under the knee joints #bbh and could be touched from behind1 and in the case of a kneeling posture1 the feet may be easily reached from that direction4#d ,however1 it should be borne in mind here that the real significance of the entire passage is to be found1 not in the woman's physical but spiritual act4 ,it was her spirit of love and devotion to the ,master1 and1 in the case of her who was a sinner1 her profound repentance and deep humility in touching ,jesus' feet in this manner1 which immortalized her act in the ,scriptures4 ,to the ,orientals the feet are unclean in a ceremonial sense2 they are not honorable members of the body2 therefore to touch them in an act of devotion marks the deepest depth of humility4 ,it was in this sense that ,jesus humbled himself as an example to his disciples by washing their feet4 ,but objections may be made to the foregoing explanation on the ground that reclining at meat is mentioned in one of the most ancient books #bbi in the ,old ,testament1 and which cannot be ascribed to the influence of ,greek thought4 ,in the sixth chapter of the ,book of ,amos1 the third and fourth verses1 it is said1 according to the ,revised ,version3 ,ye that put far away the evil day1 and cause the seat of violence to come near2 that lie upon beds of ivory1 and stretch themselves upon their couches1 and eat the lambs out of the flock1 and the calves out of the stall4 ,to some writers there is here a direct reference to the habit of reclining on couches while eating4 ,but a careful study of the passage will show that its construction does not warrant such a conclusion4 ,the passage cannot be made to read1 ,ye 444 that stretch themselves upon their couches and eat4 ,the ,hebrew word weaukhalim may mean1 in this connection1 while eating1 or1 and the eaters1--those that eat4 ,the rendering of the ,arabic1 which is a close kin of the ,hebrew1 is1 ,ye 444 who lie upon beds of ivory1 and who are stretched on cushions frsh1 and who eat lambs1 and so forth4 ,here it may easily be seen that the #bcj passage gives the theory of reclining at meat no real support1 and the table customs of ,syria past and present oppose any effort to force the passage to yield such a meaning4 ,in his scathing condemnation of those who rolled in luxury and forgot ,god and his people1 the prophet mentioned contemptuously the ease and the feasting of those whose life should have been more productive of good4 ,he might have said1 ,ye who lie on couches1 and sing idle songs1 and drink wine1 as fittingly as1 ,ye who lie on couches1 and who eat lambs and calves4 #a ,the more accurate rendering of this sentence in the ,revised ,version is1 ,and tarry ye until the day declineth4 ,in the hot season a good excuse to delay a departing guest is to beg him to wait until the cool late afternoon1 ,the decline of the day assar4 #b ,matt4 xxvi3 #g1 #bj2 ,john xii3 #b4 #c ,the ,revised ,version4 #d ,as has already been mentioned1 the common people of ,syria wear no shoes in the house4 #bca ,,chapter ,v ,,family ,,feasts ,of the feasts which are considered more strictly family affairs1 ,i will speak of two which live in my memory clothed with romantic charms4 ,the one is that which we enjoyed at the killing of the sheep4 ,as a rule every ,syrian family fattens a sheep during the summer season4 ,the housewife feeds the gentle animal by hand so many times during the day and so many during the night1 until he is so fat that he cannot rise from the ground4 ,no person is expected to speak of this sheep or touch him without saying1 ,the blessing from ,god 7be upon the lamb74 ,oh1 if ,i could but feel again the thrilling joy which was always mine when1 as a small boy1 ,i sat beside my mother and rolled the small morsels of mulberry and grape-leaves1 dipped them in salted bran water1 and handed them to my mother to feed the blessed sheep6 #bcb ,early in the autumn came the time for killing4 ,wherever my father was1 he came home1 for the father of the household must kill the sheep4 ,as a rule the blood of the animal was shed upon the threshold--a custom which echoes the ancient ,semitic practice of thus honoring the household god4 ,now1 however1 perhaps for sanitary reasons1 the sheep is killed a short distance from the door4 ,the solemnity of the act robbed it for us of its cruelty4 ,on the day of killing we sharpened the knives1 crushed the salt in the stone mortar1 and fed the sheep only sparingly4 ,as the day began to decline the animal was led to the slaughter1 and laid gently on the ground1 as the ancient sacrifice was laid before the ,lord4 ,my father1 holding with his left hand the animal's head1 made the sign of the cross with the knife on the innocent throat1 and1 in the name of ,god1 slew the sheep4 ,the fact that many householders in a community kill the sheep on the same day makes the occasion a reproduction of the night of the #bcc exodus from ,egypt4 ,in the twelfth chapter of the ,book of ,exodus1 the third and sixth verses1 ,jehovah speaks to ,moses concerning ,israel1 saying1 ,in the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb1 according to the house of their fathers1 a lamb for an house4444 ,and ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month3 and the whole assembly of the congregation of ,israel shall kill it in the evening4 ,with a few intimate friends we feasted at the killing of the sheep1 and then cut the red meat in small pieces the size of a fledgeling's head1 fried it in the fat1 and sealed it in glazed earthen jars for our winter use4 ,the other most joyous feast was that of the ,marafeh--the carnivals which precede the ,great ,lent4 ,for about two weeks before ,lent begins1 the ,christians of the ,east give themselves over to feasting4 ,the dish which is a great favorite on this occasion is called kibbey4 ,it is made of meat and crushed wheat4 ,the meat is beaten in a stone mortar1 with a #bcd large wooden masher1 until it is reduced to a very fine pulp4 ,then the crushed wheat1 soaked in cold water1 is mixed with the meat1 together with a generous supply of spices and salt4 ,the whole mixture is then beaten together so thoroughly that when rightly done it resembles a lump of dough4 ,the writer of the ,book of ,proverbs1 with characteristic ,syrian intensity1 alludes to the process of kibbey-making in one of his assaults upon the fool4 ,in the twenty-second verse of the twenty-seventh chapter he says1 ,though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle1 yet will not his foolishness depart from him4 ,be that as it may1 the craving of a ,syrian for kibbey 7and ,i fully know whereof ,i speak7 makes the craving of a ,bostonian for baked beans and fish-balls for a ,sunday breakfast pale into insignificance4 ,during ,marafeh friends and neighbors feast together until the last night that precedes the beginning of ,lent4 ,the feast of that night is one #bce of family solemnity1 upon which no outsiders may intrude4 ,the members of the family come together to eat the last feast and drink their cup of wine before entering upon the solemn period of self-denial1 fasting1 and prayer4 ,as at the ancient sacrificial feasts1 all the members of the family must be present4 ,it was this very custom which afforded ,jonathan the excuse to send his beloved friend ,david away from ,king ,saul's court1 and thus save him from the murderous design which that monarch had against the son of ,jesse4 ,so it was when the suspicious ,saul asked his son1 ,wherefore cometh not the son of ,jesse to meat1 neither yesterday nor to-day8 ,jonathan answered ,saul1 ,david earnestly asked leave of me to go to ,bethlehem3 and he said1 ,let me go1 ,i pray thee2 for our family hath a sacrifice in the city2 and my brother1 he hath commanded me to be there4#a ,on that solemnly joyous evening my mother spreads the feast1 and with most tender and pious affections my parents call their sons and #bcf daughters to surround the low table4 ,my father pours the wine4 ,to us all the cup is symbolic of sacred joy4 ,holding the cup in his hand1 my father leans forward and says to my mother1 ,may ,god prolong your life and grant you the joy of many returns of this feast6 ,and to us1 ,may your lives be long2 may we be granted to drink the cup at your weddings2 may ,god grant you health and happiness and many future feasts6 ,we all answer1 ,may your drinking be health and happiness and length of days6 ,my mother1 after wishing my father the blessings he wished for her1 and imploring the ,most ,high to bless and keep him over our heads1 drinks next4 ,then the wine is passed to every one of us4 ,drink ye all of it is my father's command2 for who can tell whether the family circle shall remain unbroken until the ,easter festival8 ,not a trace of the feast is kept in the house until the morrow4 ,what is not eaten is burned or thrown away1 for on the next day no meat1 eggs1 or milk is permitted to the faithful4 ,wine also is not supposed to be indulged in #bcg during ,lent1 until the ,easter bell heralds the tidings of the ,resurrection4 ,so did the ,master speak to his disciples on the eve of his suffering4 ,in the twenty-sixth chapter of ,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel we read1 ,and he took the cup1 and gave thanks1 and gave it to them1 saying1 ,drink ye all of it4444 ,but ,i say unto you1 ,i will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine1 until that day when ,i drink it new with you in my ,father's kingdom4 ,thus from the simplest conception of bread as a means to satisfy physical hunger to the loftiest mystic contemplation of it as a sacramental element1 the ,orientals have always eaten bread with a sense of sacredness4 ,bread and salt1 bread and wine1 ,christ the bread of life1 ,for we1 being many1 are one bread1 ,give us this day our daily bread1 these and other sayings current in the ,bible and in ,oriental speech all spring from the deepest life of the ancient ,east4 ,and the sacredness of this common article of food has been of most inestimable value to #bch ,oriental peoples4 ,in the absence of other means of social cohesion1 and the higher civil interests which bind men together1 it has been a great blessing indeed to those much-divided ,orientals to find peace and security in the simple saying1 ,there is bread and salt between us4 #a #a ,sam4 xx3 #bg-bi4 #bda ,,part ,,iv ,,out ,,in ,,the ,,open ,,chapter ,i ,,shelter ,,and ,,home ,some one has said that the ancient ,israelites called ,god a shelter and a refuge1 and not a home1 because for the most part the ,syrians lived out of doors4 ,all the habitation an ,israelite needed was a shelter from the storm and a refuge from the enemy4 ,hence the prayer of the ,psalmist3 ,for thou hast been a shelter for me1 and a strong tower from the enemy1#a and the prophecy of ,isaiah1 the fourth chapter and the sixth verse1 according to the ,revised ,version3 ,and there shall be a pavilion for a shadow in the day-time from the heat1 and for a refuge and for a covert from storm and from rain4 ,the assertion that the ,syrian1 both ancient and modern1 lives for the most part out of doors is substantially correct4 ,the long and rainless summers1 the almost exclusively agricultural #bdb and pastoral life of the people1 outside the few large cities1 and the primitive modes of travel1 enable the ,syrian to live his life out in the open4 ,his one-story house1 consisting of one or two rooms very simply furnished1 conveys the impression that it is only an emergency shelter4 ,yet that artless structure and the living close to nature have proved so agreeable and so satisfactory to the people of the ,east as to defy the forces of evolution4 ,certainly the continuance of that simple environment1 from age to age the same1 indicates that in the universal scheme of things evolution is not altogether compulsory4 ,man can1 if he chooses1 stand still1 and live somewhat comfortably by simply repeating the past4 ,to the ,oriental life is neither an evolution nor an achievement1 but an inheritance4 ,to his passive yet poetical mind the ancient landmarks possess enchanting sentimental value4 ,the thought of the same modes of life linking fifty centuries together appeals powerfully to his imagination4 ,it spells security1 and establishes #bdc confidence in the laws of being1 at least to old age4 ,however1 it should not be inferred from the foregoing that the ,syrian thinks lightly of his humble home4 ,no2 he is a passionate lover of it1 and associates with it the deepest joys and sorrows of life4 ,but he does not have for his abode the two designations house and home1 which prevail in the ,west4 ,the ,hebrew word bayith and the ,arabic bait mean primarily a shelter4 ,the ,english equivalent is the word house4 ,the richer term1 home1 has never been invented by the son of ,palestine because he has always considered himself a sojourner in the earth4 ,his tent and his little house1 therefore1 were sufficient for a shelter for him and his dear ones during the earthly pilgrimage4 ,the word which is translated home in about forty places in the ,english version of the ,bible does not differ in the original from the word house1 which is found in about three thousand five hundred passages in the ,bible4 ,the terms tent1 house1 place of residence1 #bdd and the phrases1 to go to his kindred1 to return to his place1 etc41 are all translated home1 and go home4 ,to the ,oriental the word house is very precious4 ,it means the place of safe retreat 7malja74 ,and it is this word which he uses in speaking of ,god as his protector4 ,it means more than shelter4 ,it is a place of protection and comfort4 ,the word refuge is a more suitable equivalent4 ,in that contentious ,east we always thought of a safe refuge in time of trouble4 ,every family of the common people belonged to some powerful lord who was its refuge in time of danger4 ,he was strong1 rich1 compassionate4 ,he protected his own4 ,how much stronger1 richer1 and more compassionate1 therefore1 is the ,lord of ,hosts6 ,the needy and much terrified ,oriental discovered long ago the frailty of all earthly shelters4 ,the ,king of ,kings and the ,lord of ,hosts was his never-failing refuge4 ,the trustful contemplation of ,god as an ever-present helper has steadied the faltering steps of countless generations4 ,the #bde ,lord is my rock1 and my fortress1 and my deliverer2 my ,god1 my strength1 in whom ,i will trust2 my buckler1 and the horn#b of my salvation1 and my high tower4#c ,god is our refuge and strength1 a very present help in trouble4 ,therefore will not we fear1 though the earth be removed1 and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea4#d ,is it not really worth while to fear and to suffer1 if by so doing one is brought so close to ,god8 ,the writer of the one hundred and nineteenth ,psalm had the world in his debt when he turned his inward vision toward the ,most ,high and prayed3#e ,it is good for me that ,i have been afflicted2 that ,i might learn thy statutes4 ,the law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver4 ,and who can estimate the debt which humanity owes to the ,sufferer of ,calvary8 #a ,ps4 lxi3 #c4 #b ,the horn symbolizes strength4 #c ,ps4 xviii3 #b1 #c4 #d ,ps4 xlvi3 #a1 #b4 #e ,ps4 cxix3 #ga1 #gb4 #bdf ,,chapter ,,ii ,,resigned ,,travelers ,traveling by the ,twentieth ,century1 ,limited1 is fast transit2 but1 excepting in case of a wreck1 the trip is devoid of incident4 ,the mechanical perfection of the conveyance1 and the infallibility of the time-table reduce journeying to transportation4 ,there is no girding of the loins1 no pilgrim's staff1 no salutations by the way and no wayfarer's song4 ,the journey is not humanized by the tender care for the camel1 the mule1 and the ass1 nor are the hunger and thirst satisfied by the breaking of bread beside the lonely springs of water4 ,the terrors and triumphs of ,st4 ,paul in his journeyings often1 in perils of waters1 in perils of robbers1 in perils by mine own countrymen1 in perils by the heathen1 444 in weariness and painfulness1 in watchings often1 in hunger and thirst1 444 in cold and nakedness1#a are all to the #bdg modern ,western traveler echoes of a remote past4 ,but such are still the common experiences of the sons of the ,east4 ,one of the heroic wedding songs which was much in vogue in my boyhood days was this 7addressed to the bride73 ,thy father1 ,o beauteous one1 journeyed to ,damascus alone6 ,previous to the introduction of the railway train1 which now runs between ,beyrout and ,damascus1 the journey from my home town to the latter city consumed two days4 ,in those days1 as is still the case in many parts of ,syria1 men traveled in large groups for mutual protection from the hidden dangers of the way1 and he who journeyed to the ancient city alone was proclaimed hero4 ,my memories of the tales of adventure which ,i heard the men relate are very thrilling4 ,tales of encounters with robbers1 battles with snakes and wild beasts1 suffering from the insufficiency of the food for the way 7zad7 and the thirst occasioned by the early failure1 that is1 the #bdh drying up1 of springs of water which had been thought to be still flowing4 ,only those who have traveled under such circumstances can fully appreciate the promise given in the fifty-eighth chapter of ,isaiah1 the eleventh verse1 ,and the ,lord shall guide thee continually1 and satisfy thy soul in drought1 and make fat#b thy bones3 and thou shalt be like a watered garden1 and like a spring of water1 whose waters fail not4 ,this recalls forcibly to my mind the occasions when in our travels in the late summer we would stand at the parting of two roads and wonder which one to take4 ,the opinion of the more experienced men in the party1 that the spring of water on one of those roads was likely to be dry in that season of the year1 always turned our steps in the other direction4 ,in that thirsty land such a possibility could not be safely ignored4 ,in those long summer days1 when the mouth of the traveler on the dusty roads of ,syria turns bitter from the thirst1 the arrival #bdi at a spring which had failed is almost a tragic experience4 ,hence it is that the springs of water are one of the precious promises of the ,bible1 and their failure was one of the fearful threats4 ,it was indeed a call to his disciples to make the great renunciation when ,jesus sent them out to preach the glad tidings of the kingdom which was at hand1 with the command1 ,provide neither gold1 nor silver1 nor brass in your purses1 nor scrip for your journey1 neither two coats1 neither shoes1 nor yet staves4#c ,so far as the comforts and protection that earthly things can give1 those disciples were sent out perfectly helpless4 ,the ,master's programme for those disciples is just the antithesis of that which an ordinary ,oriental traveler follows4 ,no traveler in the interior of ,syria ever starts out on a journey1 be it short or long1 without zad4 ,true1 ,syrian generosity to a wayfarer is to be depended upon1 but the traditions of the country are that self-respect requires that a #bej traveler shall provide himself with zad1 and shall accept hospitality only as a last resort4 ,the best etiquette requires that when a traveler is invited to another's table1 he should take out his zad and place it before him4 ,the host1 on the other hand1 positively refuses to allow his chance guest to eat of his own zad4 ,the host removes the zad from the table1 and either adds to it and gives it to the guest upon his departure or gives him a new zad4 ,without scrip1 the traveler seems to himself to be utterly a dependent1 a beggar1 and not a guest4 ,put up a few loaves for zad1 is the first thing said when a person is about to start out on a journey4 ,the thin loaves are folded into small bundles1 which may contain such delicacies as ripe black olives1 cheese1 boiled eggs1 and figs conserved in grape molasses1 and wrapped up in a large napkin1 which the traveler ties around his waist1 with the bread on the back4 ,the bread is often carried in a leather bag 7jerab74 ,this is the scrip and wallet of the ,gospel command4 ,on a long #bea journey1 say of a day or more1 the thin bread dries up and breaks into small pieces4 ,a dry and crumby zad indicates a long journey4 ,the ,gibeonites certainly did work wilily when they used their dry and broken bread as a means to deceive ,joshua4 ,although they were ,israel's near neighbors1 by carrying dry crumbs in their bags and saying to ,joshua upon their arrival at his camp1 ,this our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you2 but now1 behold1 it is dry1 and it is mouldy1#d made him and the princes of the congregation believe that the wily travelers had come from a distant country4 ,the ,english translation1 however1 by using the word mouldy introduces a foreign element into the text4 ,in the dry climate of ,palestine the bread does not get mouldy on a journey1 but it dries up and crumbles into small fragments1 as every ,syrian knows4 ,the ,arabic version has it1 ,this our bread 444 is now dry and in crumbs fetat4 #beb ,provide neither gold1 nor silver1 nor brass in your purses4 ,the original text has girdles instead of purses4 ,while traveling in the ,east we always carried our money in the girdle and only a few coins in the purse4 ,the girdle of the present day is a stout woolen or cotton belt1 which is called1 in the vernacular ,arabic1 kummer4 ,it is worn under the sash1 and the longest specimen of it measures about five feet4 ,it is double to the length of about thirty inches4 ,the two folds are very securely sewed together at the edge1 and only a small opening provided near the buckle1 through which the money is inserted4 ,the double part1 containing the money1 is first fastened around the waist by means of a short leather buckle1 then the single part is wound over it4 ,it may be seen here that in case of an encounter with robbers1 the money cannot be snatched from its owner until he is completely subdued by his antagonist4 ,the common people of ,syria speak of the kummer as of a man's financial strength4 ,there are practically no bank accounts4 ,how is #bec the kummer8 means1 ,how do you stand financially8 ,to tap the kummer cheerfully indicates good circumstances4 ,it is joy and glory for a youth when he reaches the age when he may have a kummer4 ,the thrill of satisfaction which that possession gives still lingers with me4 ,it was as much of a sign of maturity and independence for me to tap that ,scriptural girdle which ,i wore1 when ,i had money in it1 as to swear by my newly sprouting mustache4 ,it was my treasure6 ,from all this it may be noted that the ,master's command1 ,provide neither gold1 nor silver1 nor brass in your girdles1 meant1 not only to carry no money on their missionary journey1 but to seek and horde no money4 ,an ,oriental's girdle is his bank4 ,the part of the command which says1 ,neither two coats1 means two changes of clothing4 ,the thing sought here1 however1 as well as in the saying1 ,neither shoes1 is not the abandonment of the necessary wearing apparel1 but willing self-denial4 #bed ,nor yet staves4 ,the staff1 or the stick of travel1 is the symbol of journeying in ,syria4 ,there1 ,elkeina el'asa 7rested the staff7 means we reached the end of our journey4 ,el'asa 7staff7 occupies a significant place in ,syrian lore4 ,it is difficult for me to imagine a ,syrian starting on a journey without an asa4 ,the ,israelites were given explicit directions concerning their preparations for the journey on the eve of their exodus from ,egypt4 ,they were told#e to eat the lamb of the passover with your loins girded1 your shoes on your feet1 and your staff in your hand4 ,in our travels in ,syria the staff was to us a most valuable support in climbing the steep hills1 crossing the streams of water1 battling with snakes and ferocious dogs1 and with highway robbers4 ,the staff is a companion is a current saying in the land4 ,the disciples were commanded in this manner to detach themselves from the material interests of this world1 and to give themselves wholly to the preaching #bee of the kingdom4 ,in their need and in their weakness they were to be rich and strong through their vision of the eternal realities4 ,in the tenth chapter of ,st4 ,luke's ,gospel1 ,jesus' commission to the disciples contains the command1 ,and salute no man by the way4 ,it would seem strange1 indeed1 that those messengers of peace and good-will1 who were being sent out to spread the leaven of friendliness and good cheer in the world1 should be enjoined by their ,master to salute no man by the way4 ,but when it is known in what manner the ,orientals salute one another on those weary journeys1 the ,gospel restriction will not seem so very strange4 ,wayfarers in the ,east do not content themselves with the severely brief ,western salutation1 ,how d' you do2 nice day1 and then pass on4 ,the ,oriental salutation is a copious flow of soul1 whose intimacy and inquisitiveness are quite strange to the mentality of the ,west4 ,when the ways of two travelers converge1 or the one overtakes the other1 and they decide to yatrafeko 7be companion the one to the other7 #bef and wear away the road in friendly speech1 the salutation runs as follows3-- ,allah y'atek el'afieh ,may ,god give you health and strength4 ,allah y'afie imrak ,may ,god refresh and strengthen your life4 ,whence has your excellent presence heth-retek come1 and whither are you facing8 ,from ,nazareth have ,i come1 and am facing towards ,damascus4 ,what is the precious name8 ,your humble servant ,mas'ud1 son of ,yusuf of the clan of ,ayyub ,job4 ,wann'am1 wann'am ,all honor1 all honor6 ,wann'am to your excellent presence1 and your respected clan6 ,what are your years8 ,my years1 friend1 are four and thirty4 ,may your life be long and happy6 ,may ,allah lengthen your days6 ,what children have you8 7,it is taken for granted that a man of that age has been long since married47 #beg ,three sons in the keeping of ,god4 ,long life to them and health and happiness6 ,what men does your clan count8 ,we turn out seb'een baroody seventy shotguns4 ,seb'een baroody6 ,valiant men4 ,what enemies have you in your native town8 ,our chief enemy is the clan of ,haddad4 ,they turn out one hundred baroody1 but whenever the iron gets hot that is1 whenever a fight occurs we shatter their forces4 ,thus the mutually complimentary conversation and the searching of hearts continue until each of the travelers is thoroughly informed concerning the personal1 domestic1 and social affairs of the other4 ,the trade1 the income1 the profession1 the cares and anxieties1 and even the likes and dislikes of each are made known to the other before their ways part4 ,hence the ,master's command1 ,salute no man by the way4 ,surely the intention was not to be rude and unfriendly to fellow travelers1 #beh but to be completely absorbed by the glorious message of the ,gospel4 ,the command was given because the king's business required haste4 ,even an ,oriental must quicken his pace when his mission is to seek and to save that which was lost4 #a #b ,cor4 xi3 #bf1 #bg4 #b ,the ,arabic and the ,revised ,versions3 make strong4 #c ,matt4 x3 #i1 #aj4 #d ,joshua ix3 #ab4 #e ,exod4 xii3 #aa4 #bei ,,chapter ,,iii ,,the ,,market ,,place ,i cannot think of the market place in the ,east without at the same time thinking of the camel caravan4 ,in many parts of ,syria1 the arrival of the caravan makes the market4 ,el-habbet 7the grain7 is the chief commodity1 and the camel is the chief carrier4 ,in very recent years the railway train has to a certain extent taken from the camel his ancient occupation1 but it has by no means completely supplanted the ship of the desert4 ,the coming of camel caravans from the land of the east to our ,lebanon town1 laden with the blessed grain1 is one of my most enchanted memories of outdoor life in ,syria4 ,the sight of a train of camels1 with their curved necks bridging the spaces between them1 suggests to the beholder an endless line4 ,it is not at all surprising to me to read the assertion of the writer of the seventh chapter of the ,book of #bfj ,judges1 where he speaks of the ,midianites and ,amalekites1 that their camels were without number1 as the sand of the sea-side for multitude4 ,it seems to me that it does not require more than a train of one hundred camels to convey the idea of endlessness4 ,at the first glimpse of the approaching caravan we boys would swarm to the saha 7the open space7 of the town4 ,there the caravan unloads1 and awaits the buyers of wheat4 ,it makes me long for my early years when ,i read in the twenty-fourth chapter of the ,book of ,genesis the story of ,abraham's servant when he journeyed to ,mesopotamia4 ,and the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master and departed4444 ,and he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening1 even the time that women go out to draw water4 ,it is decidedly thrilling to hear the cameleer say1 ich1 ich1 i--ch--ch6 and pull at the halter of his camel to make him kneel4 ,and1 with a friendly roar1 the great beast drops1 first forward on his huge1 thick1 #bfa hardened knees1 then comes down on his haunches1 and then1 swaying in all directions1 like an island shaken by an earthquake1 rests his enormous body on the ground4 ,at the time of the evening in the late afternoon1 even the time that women go out to draw water1 the camels are led to the fountains to be watered4 ,the ancient writer's reference to the time that women go out to draw water is to a ,syrian as definite as the reference to a ,swiss clock4 ,wakket elmeliah 7the time to fill the jars7 is in the early morning and the late afternoon4 ,for obvious reasons the women choose the cool of the day for carrying their heavy jars of water from the fountain to the house4 ,the ,syrian women have faithfully kept this custom from before the days of ,abraham4 ,and it is in the cool of the day that the cameleers also deem it best to water their precious animals4 ,the women always view this event with disfavor4 ,the thirsty camels completely drain the pond into which the surplus water of the slender fountain flows1 and which the #bfb housewives put to other household uses than drinking4 ,no doubt the ancient ,israelitish women in certain sections of ,palestine grumbled when the cameleers drew heavily out of the wells on which the home-makers depended entirely for their water supply4 ,but to us boys the occasion was festive4 ,by bribing the cameleers with gifts of grapes1 figs1 raisins1 or any other sweets1 for which the craving of the ,bedouins is proverbial1 we were allowed to mount the camels and lead them to the water4 ,it may be true1 as some scholars assert1 that the swaying walk of the camel first quickened the measured song of the ,arab1 but my first camel ride was anything but poetical4 ,i had1 upon the arrival of the caravan1 smuggled from our store of raisins two large pocketfuls1 the one with which to bribe the ,bedouin to give me a ride1 the other to eat while on the camel's back1 like a gay rider4 ,as ,i climbed confidently on the wooden saddle of the kneeling beast1 the ,arab1 who was already devouring the raisins1 stems and all1 by the handful1 gave #bfc the familiar signal1 tshew1 tshew1 and instantly the thirsty camel rose and flew toward the fountain4 ,i felt as if my brain was being torn off its base4 ,i lost the sense of direction1 and seemed to myself to be suspended between earth and heaven1 tossed by violent winds4 ,i screamed2 but the ,bedouin would not let me down until ,i promised him the other pocketful of raisins4 ,in ,syria the sk 7market place7 is more than a place of exchange of commodities4 ,it is rather an occasion of varied business and social interests4 ,the ,oriental knows no business without sociability4 ,his dekkan 7store7 is a gathering-place for friends1 and a business transaction with him1 especially in the interior of the country1 is almost always preceded by a friendly visit with the customer4 ,so the market is a place where the dignitaries of the town meet and exchange salutations and discuss various interests4 ,the social nature of such occasions is indicated in ,jesus' warning to his disciples1 ,beware of the scribes1 which love to go in long clothing1 and love salutations in the #bfd marketplaces4#a ,apparently those teachers of ,israel were very frequent visitors at the markets1 where men of all classes paid them the homage which their calling1 if not their person1 merited4 ,in the past the ,arab markets were also significant conventions of literary men1 especially poets4 ,discussions of all sorts of subjects are carried on at the market4 ,so it was in ,athens in ,paul's time1 where he disputed 444 in the market daily with them that met with him4#b ,and1 of course1 the children love to gather in the market place1 play their pranks1 and watch the interesting activities of their elders4 ,it was to such a crowd of youngsters that ,jesus likened the fickle and peevish men of his time4 ,in the eleventh chapter of ,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel1 the sixteenth verse1 he says1 ,but whereunto shall ,i liken this generation8 ,it is like unto children sitting in the markets1 and calling unto their fellows1 and saying1 ,we have piped unto you1 and ye have not danced2 we have mourned unto you1 and ye have not lamented4 #bfe ,to my youthful mind the chief charm of the market place was the keyyal 7measurer74 ,the strong man who measured the wheat will live in my memory as long as life endures4 ,he it is who gives the good measure1 pressed down1 shaken together1 running over4 ,in ,syria the custom is that every measure must run over4 ,friendship must forever be mixed with business4 ,liquid measures1 also1 of such things as milk and oil1 must run over a little into the vessel of the buyer1 for with what measure ye mete1 it shall be measured to you again4#c ,after the price has been agreed upon1 the sturdy cameleer spreads his ample cloak on the ground and pours the golden grain in a heap upon it4 ,the keyyal kneels by the little hillock of wheat1 and1 naming the ,holy ,name1 thrusts the midd 7a wooden measure7 into the precious wheat4 ,the grain is sacred2 therefore1 the language of the keyyal must be pious4 ,as he tosses the first measure into the buyer's bag1 or the skirt of his cloak1 he says1 ,blessing6 that #bff means ,one2 ,from ,god means ,two4 ,then the counting is continued in the ordinary language--three1 four1 and so on4 ,after it is first thrust into the heap of wheat1 the midd1 about half full1 is whirled around on its bottom1 lifted slightly from the ground and dropped several times4 ,the keyyal1 constantly repeating the number of the midds he has already measured1 lest he forget1 pours the wheat into the measure with his hands1 packs it down with his palms1 and all his strength4 ,he whirls the midd round again1 shakes it1 presses it1 and again heaps the wheat1 pyramid-like1 above the rim4 ,the circular shower of the golden grain falls gently over the edges4 ,the artful keyyal pours small handfuls of wheat with his right hand into his left1 which is formed into a funnel over the apex of the heaped midd1 until the point is as sharp as a needle's4 ,then with swift deftness1 which elicits the admiration of the spectators1 he lifts the heaped measure and tosses it into the bag1 without allowing a single grain to fall outside4 #bfg ,with what telling effect and rich simplicity does the ,master allude to this custom of measuring grain in the ,eastern markets4 ,in the sixth chapter of ,st4 ,luke's ,gospel1 the command and the promise are1 ,give1 and it shall be given unto you2 good measure1 pressed down1 and shaken together1 and running over1 shall men give into your bosom4 ,but the word bosom here somewhat weakens the sense of the text4 ,i do not know why the ,english translators used it in place of the original word lap4 ,the ,oriental does not carry grain in his bosom1 but in the skirt of his ample garments1 much as a woman carries things in the fold of her apron4 ,again the word lap is used here in another and a more significant sense4 ,it is the symbol of plentifulness2 just as the bosom is the symbol of affection4 ,the generous measure1 even though it be poured into one's bag1 as a blessing1 may be said to be given into his lap4 ,here again1 as in many other ,scriptural passages1 ,jesus gives the ideal spiritual touch to the common things of life4 ,here an ordinary #bfh act is made the symbol of the fullness of the spiritual life4 ,he whose life is like the divine ,parent's life--a perpetual outgoing and an everlasting gift--shall never lack anything4 ,men will be taught by his generosity how to be generous themselves1 and the divine ,giver will give him of the fullness of his own life4 ,there is no void which the divine life cannot fill1 no need which it cannot meet1 and no hunger which it cannot satisfy4 #a ,mark xii3 #ch4 #b ,acts xvii3 #ag4 #c ,matt4 vii3 #b4 #bfi ,,chapter ,,iv ,,the ,,housetop ,while a caravan of camels needs no other means than its own majestic appearance to herald its arrival into a town1 muleteer merchants shout their wares from the housetop4 ,upon the arrival of a muleteer into the saha of the town with a load of lentils1 potatoes1 apricots1 or any other commodity1 he drops the load from the animal's back onto the ground1 and goes upon the roof of the nearest house and proclaims his wares at the top of his voice1 in prolonged strains4 ,to reach the flat earthen roof of the one-story ,syrian house needs no extension ladder4 ,it is so easily and quickly reached by the few rough stone steps in the rear of the house that ,jesus1 in speaking of the incredibly swift coming of the end in the twenty-fourth chapter in ,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel1 says1 ,let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his #bgj house4 ,so sudden was to be the consummation of the ,eternal's design1 because iniquity shall abound1 and the love of many shall wax cold1 that even the short distance between the housetop and the ground could not be safely traversed by those who cared for earthly possessions4 ,the ease with which the roof of an ordinary ,syrian house is reached accounts also for the carrying of the man who was sick of the palsy upon the housetop4 ,the account in the second chapter of ,st4 ,mark's ,gospel1 the third and fourth verses1 runs1 ,and they came unto him1 bringing one sick of the palsy1 which was borne of four4 ,and when they could not come nigh unto him for the press1 they uncovered the roof where he was2 and when they had broken it up the ,arabic1 broken through1 they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay4 ,this account describes perfectly the process of making an opening in a ,syrian roof4 ,in ,st4 ,luke's ,gospel1 however1 the statement #bga is3#a ,and when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude1 they went upon the housetop1 and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before ,jesus4 ,the coloring here is decidedly ,roman and not ,syrian4 ,the writer of ,luke was a ,latin ,christian4 ,he related the incident in terms which were easily understood by his own people4 ,the ,syrians never covered their roof with tiles nor slept on couches4 ,mark's account speaks of uncovering the roof and letting down the bed4 ,the ,syrian roof is constructed as follows3 ,the main timbers which carry the roof covering are laid across1 horizontally1 at intervals of about two to three feet4 ,crosswise over the timbers are laid the khasheb 7sticks long enough to bridge the spaces between7 quite close together4 ,over the khasheb reeds and branches of trees and thistles are laid1 and the whole is covered with about twelve inches of earth4 ,the dirt is rolled down by a stone roller and made hard enough to #bgb shed water4 ,in many houses during the summer season an opening1 called qafa'a1 is made in the roof for the purpose of letting down the grain and other provisions which are dried in the sun on the housetop4 ,the space between the timbers admits easily the large basket called sell1 which is as big around as a bushel basket4 ,now1 those who let down the palsied man either made an entirely new opening in the roof1 or simply extended the qafa'a enough to admit the unfortunate man in his folded quilt or thick cushion1 tied by the four corners4 ,and it was this which ,jesus commanded him to carry1 when he said to him1 ,arise1 and take up thy bed1 and walk4 ,from the foregoing it may be seen that a couch could not have been so easily let down through the roof1 nor carried by the newly healed man4 ,sleeping on the housetop in the summer season is an ,oriental custom the advantage of which the ,occident has just discovered4 ,to use the roofs of high buildings in ,american cities as sleeping quarters is a new suggestion of #bgc that genius known as the social reformer4 ,to the ancient ,east1 there is nothing new under the sun4 ,however1 to dwell on the housetop is an expression which symbolizes desolation4 ,nevertheless the writer of ,proverbs says3#b ,it is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop1 than with a brawling woman in a wide house4 ,from the housetop the muleteer merchant shouts his wares2 from the housetop men call one another for various purposes2 from the housetop the nowateer 7men appointed by the municipality to watch the vineyards7 proclaim the names of trespassers2 and from that elevation the special orders of the governor of the district are proclaimed to the populace4 ,by night or by day1 whenever we heard a voice calling from a housetop1 we instinctively listened most intently in order to catch the message4 ,the voice of the crier is so much like a distant1 prolonged railway whistle that in my first few years in ,america1 whenever ,i heard #bgd such a sound1 especially in the night1 ,i listened involuntarily1 expecting to hear a message4 ,how often must ,jesus have heard the free and full voice of the crier from the housetop6 ,how it must have appealed to him as the very antithesis of the whisperings of fear1 cowardice1 and doubt1 may be realized from his command to his disciples4 ,in the tenth chapter of ,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel we read ,christianity's declaration of independence4 ,here the antagonism of the world is portrayed with complete fullness4 ,behold1 ,i send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves4 ,ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake4 ,fear them not 444 for there is nothing covered1 that shall not be revealed2 and hid1 that shall not be known4 ,in the face of all hatred and danger and death the ,master's command to those who carried the world-transcending message1 the supreme treasure of time and eternity1 was1 ,what ,i tell you in darkness1 that speak ye in light3 and what ye hear in the ear1 that preach ye upon the housetop4 #bge ,in the rainless ,syrian summer the housetop is used for various household purposes4 ,the grass which grows on the earthen roof1 especially on its thick edges1 withers early in the season4 ,to this the ,scripture alludes in several places where it speaks of the enemies of ,israel as being like the grass upon the housetops1 which withereth afore it groweth up4 ,in some cases the whole roof is plastered with clay mortar and used for drying grain1 fruits1 and vegetables4 ,also in the summer season the housetop is used for holding wedding festivities and funeral gatherings1 which almost all the adult inhabitants of the town are supposed to attend4 ,with solemn brevity does the prophet ,jeremiah refer to this custom in the forty-eighth chapter1 and the thirty-eighth verse4 ,the more accurate rendering of the ,revised ,version is3 ,on all the housetops of ,moab and in the streets thereof there is lamentation every where4 ,the custom of praying on the housetop1 which has come down from the time when the ,syrians worshiped the hosts of heaven1 still #bgf survives in the ,east4 ,in the first chapter of the ,book which bears his name1 the prophet ,zephaniah threatens with the awful retribution of ,jehovah those who indulged in this practice4 ,i will also stretch out mine hand upon ,judah1 and upon all the inhabitants of ,jerusalem2 and ,i will cut off the remnant of ,baal from this place 444 and them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops4 ,this custom survives in ,syria1 although much less extensively than in the past1 and it is the ,god of the whole earth that is worshiped1 and not the host of heaven4 ,with much reverential regard ,i still remember an old neighbor of ours1 a devout ,maronite1 a man who really feared ,god and worked righteousness1 whose habit was to say his evening prayer upon the housetop4 ,of all the rich treasures of our ,scriptures1 few perhaps are more precious and dearer to ,christian hearts than the record of ,peter's vision while in the city of ,joppa1 and which is so intimately associated with that low1 flat1 earthen ,syrian roof4 ,the tenth chapter of the ,book of #bgg ,acts hints at the broader and more profound spirit which had begun to agitate the inner life of the very small remnant of expectant souls in ,israel4 ,the wider horizon which the ,christ of ,god had revealed to his ,jewish disciples had engendered serious doubts in their minds with regard to the exclusive claims of ,judaism to the blessings of the ,messianic kingdom4 ,the spirit of the ,beatitudes and the ,parables was resistlessly pressing the claims of all the eager ,gentiles to a share in those blessings4 ,no doubt the soul of ,peter1 the ultra-conservative disciple1 was rent in twain and wavered in its allegiance between the old claims of a chosen people and the new vision of a universal kingdom founded on purity of heart and hunger and thirst after righteousness4 ,it would seem that while in such a state of mind1 and after the ,oriental custom1 ,peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour2#c and he became very hungry1 and #bgh would have eaten3 but while they made ready1 he fell into a trance1 and saw heaven opened1 and a certain vessel descending unto him1 as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners1 and let down to the earth2 wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth1 and wild beasts1 and creeping things1 and fowls of the air4 ,and there came a voice to him1 ,rise1 ,peter2 kill1 and eat4 ,but ,peter said1 ,not so1 ,lord2 for ,i have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean4 ,and the voice spake unto him the second time1 ,what ,god hath cleansed1 that call not thou common4 ,peter obeyed4 ,that ,oriental1 who was not afraid of the mystic revelations of ,god's designs took the lesson to heart4 ,presently we see this conservative ,jew again at the home of ,cornelius1 the ,roman1 and hear him interpret his own vision4 ,of a truth1 he said to the ,roman soldier1 ,i perceive that ,god is no #bgi respecter of persons3 but in every nation he that feareth him1 and worketh righteousness1 is accepted with him4 ,here we have the sure basis of ,christian unity and the unshaken foundation of a human commonwealth4 ,other foundation can no man lay4 ,when all the sects and nations who profess to be the followers of ,jesus ,christ respond to this ,scriptural summons1 and give decent burial to their divisive creeds1 however authoritative they might think them to be1 then will the world have valid reason to expect swords to be beaten into ploughshares1 and to hope for the coming of ,god's kingdom upon the earth4 #a ,luke v3 #ai41 #b ,prov4 xxi3 #i4 #c ,the noon hour1 according to ,oriental calculation3 ,timepieces are set at twelve1 at sunset4 ,six o'clock is the hour of midnight and midday4 ,the time kept by ,western peoples is known in ,syria as affrenje4 ,so the laborers who came to work at the eleventh hour1 as it is mentioned in ,matthew1 the twentieth chapter1 and the ninth verse1 came one hour before sunset4 #bhj ,,chapter ,v ,,the ,,vineyards ,,and ,,the ,,fields ,from time immemorial the vine and the fig tree have been the ,oriental's chief joy4 ,together with their actual value they possessed for him a sacred symbolic value1 especially the vine4 ,the fullness and sweetness of their fruits symbolized the joys of the kingdom of heaven4 ,the mystery of the wine cup1 which the world has so sadly vulgarized1 remains very sacred to the ,oriental4 ,christ used the fruit of the vine1 or1 as the ,arabic version has it1 the yield of the vine1--meaning the wine1 and not grapes1--as the visible means of spiritual communion4 ,in the fifteenth chapter of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel the ,master says1 ,i am the vine1 ye are the branches4 ,this usage was no doubt extant in the ,east before ,christ4 ,the vine1 as a symbol of spiritual as well as physical family unity1 is spoken of in the ,old ,testament4 ,israel's was ,jehovah's vine4 ,thou hast brought a vine out of ,egypt is the #bha plaintive cry of the writer of the eightieth ,psalm3 thou hast cast out the heathen1 and planted it4 ,thou preparest room before it1 and didst cause it to take deep root1 and it filled the land4444 ,return1 we beseech thee1 ,o ,god of hosts3 look down from heaven1 and behold1 and visit this vine2 and the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted4 ,we always thought and spoke of the ,church as the vine which ,god has planted4 ,the chanting of the foregoing words of the ,psalmist by our priest of the ,greek ,orthodox ,church1 with his hand uplifted over the solemnly silent congregation1 remains one of the most beautiful memories of my youth4 ,we spoke also of the family as a vine4 ,one of the tenderest passages in the whole ,bible is the third verse of the one hundred and twenty-eighth ,psalm3 ,thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house3 thy children like olive plants round about thy table4 ,they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree2 and none shall make them #bhb afraid1#a is ,micah's vision of peace and security4 ,to a ,syrian in ,america the reading of this passage is strongly conducive to homesickness4 ,to sit in the luxuriant shade of the fig tree was a daily blessing to us in the summer season4 ,it must have been in that season of the year that ,jesus first met ,nathanael4 ,in the first chapter of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel we read3 ,jesus saw ,nathanael coming to him1 and saith of him1 ,behold an ,israelite indeed1 in whom is no guile6 ,nathanael saith unto him1 ,whence knowest thou me8 ,jesus answered and said unto him1 ,before that ,philip called thee1 when thou wast under the fig tree1 ,i saw thee4 ,i have no doubt that ,nathanael's habit of sitting under the fig tree was one of the characteristics which made him an ,israelite indeed4 ,the wine press is an ancient landmark in ,syrian life1 and one of the most picturesque features of the ,scriptures4 ,the word press is likely to be misleading in this mechanical age4 ,the grapes are not pressed by any mechanical #bhc contrivance1 but are trodden with the feet4 ,therefore1 to the ,orientals the wine press is ma'sara 7squeezing place74 ,the grapes are thrown in a heap in a stone-flagged enclosure about the size of an ordinary room1 and trodden by the men in their bare feet4 ,much gayety characterizes the ma'sara season4 ,the work is carried on day and night until all the grapes which had been gathered by the various families for the ma'sara are converted into wine and molasses4 ,the quaint songs and stories which ,i always loved to hear the treaders exchange1 as they walked back and forth over the grapes1 come to me now like the echoes of a remote past4 ,and as ,i recall how at the end of a long treading those men came out with their garments spattered with the rich juice of the grapes of ,lebanon1 the words of ,isaiah--,wherefore art thou red in thine apparel1 and thy garments like him that treadeth the wine fat8#b--;breathe real life for me4 ,but in this age of rampant microbiology ,i #bhd introduce this subject with at least an implied apology4 ,the picture of men treading grapes in this manner and under such circumstances will not1 ,i fear1 appeal strongly to the sthetic sense of my readers4 ,nevertheless1 all the ,scriptural wine1 including the cup of the ,last ,supper1 was produced in this way4 ,to the ,orientals the mystic fermentation and the fire purify the juice of the vine4 ,the precious juice runs from the wide1 stone-flagged enclosure into deep wells1 where it is allowed to become rawook 7clear juice74 ,the fresh rawook is considered a delicious drink4 ,one of ,job's bitter complaints against those who oppressed the poor was that those unfortunates were made to tread the wine presses1 and suffer thirst4#c ,having been allowed thoroughly to settle1 the juice is then heated according as to whether the wine is to be sweet or bitter4 ,the longer the juice is boiled the sweeter the wine4 ,sweet wine is called khemer niswani 7woman wine72 the men1 as a rule1 preferring the bitter wine4 ,in #bhe making molasses of the grape juice1 fine white clay is scattered over the grapes before they are trodden1 in order to hasten and insure a perfect settling of all the coarse organic matter while the juice is in the clearing wells4 ,i often wonder whether it is because the memories of youth grow more romantic with the passing of the years1 that the agricultural life of the ,orient seems to me more poetical than that of the ,occident1 or whether it really is more enchanting4 ,it seems to me that tools possess more charms than machinery does1 and handwork of the more instinctive type is much more interesting than the carefully studied and designed task4 ,the life of the ,american farmer is too intelligent to be romantic4 ,there is so much in him of the agricultural college and the farm journal4 ,no awful mysteries haunt his scientifically treated fields4 ,insect powders and the daily weather report and the market quotations arm him with forethought1 and make of him a speculating merchant4 ,the constant #bhf improvements of agricultural implements place a wide and ever-widening gulf between the ,american farmer and his forefathers4 ,not so with the ,syrian farmer4 ,to this man life is not an evolution1 but an inheritance4 ,if the men who tilled ,abraham's fields in ,hebron should rise from the dead to-day1 they would find that the four thousand years of their absence from the earth had effected no essential changes in the methods and means of farming in the land of promise4 ,they would lay their hand to the plough and proceed to perform their daily tasks1 as though nothing had happened4 ,a very few ,european ploughs are being tried in certain sections of ,syria1 but that is all4 ,the ,syrian sower goes forth to sow with his long1 primitive plough on his right shoulder1 the yoke hanging from the left shoulder and the leather bag of seed strapped to his back4 ,in his left hand he carries his long1 hard1 strong goad--the same as the one with which ,shamgar1 son of ,anath1 slew of the ,philistines six hundred men4 ,through this simple instrument he keeps #bhg in touch with his pair of oxen1 or cows1 which pace leisurely before him4 ,the plough1 which consists of two wooden beams joined together1 measures about twelve feet in length4 ,the quantity of wood in the ,syrian plough makes plain the meaning of the passage in the story of the prophet ,elisha1 son of ,shaphat4 ,in the nineteenth chapter of the ,first ,book of ,kings1 the nineteenth verse1 we have the account of ,elijah's first meeting with his successor ,elisha1 when he was ploughing in the field1 with twelve yoke of oxen before him1 and he with the twelfth4 ,so1 when ,elijah cast his mantle upon him1 the son of ,shaphat took a yoke of oxen1 and slew them1 and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen1 and gave unto the people1 and they did eat4 ,then he arose1 and went after ,elijah1 and ministered unto him4 ,at the forward end the long plough is hooked to the yoke1 and at the rear end joined to a cross-piece1 whose upper extremity forms the cabousa 7handle72 and the lower holds the iron ploughshare4 ,when he puts his hand to the #bhh plough1 he simply grasps the cabousa with his right hand while he wields the goad with his left4 ,the uneven1 stony ground and the lightness of the plough compel him to maintain a firm hold on it1 and to look ever forward4 ,in the ninth chapter of ,st4 ,luke's ,gospel1 the sixty-second verse1 ,jesus makes excellent use of this point when he says1 ,no man1 having put his hand to the plough1 and looking back1 is fit for the kingdom of ,god4 ,the parable of the sower1 in the thirteenth chapter of ,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel1 is a faithful picture of the environment of the farmer in the region of ,galilee and ,mount ,lebanon4 ,that primitive farmer does not sow his seed by means of drills in symmetrical rows4 ,out of his leathern seed bag he takes generous handfuls of grain and1 in the name of the bounteous ,god1 he casts the blessed seed into the soil1 and then covers it by ploughing4 ,the bridle paths which wind through the fields1 and the still narrower footpaths which the wayfarers make through those fields every season in #bhi taking short cuts on their weary journeys1 provide ample chance for some seeds to fall by the wayside1 and be devoured by the fowls of the air4 ,in certain sections of the country where ,i was brought up the stony places are the rule and the good ground the exception4 ,so the seeds which fell upon stony places came up quickly because they had no deepness of earth2 and when the sun was up1 they were scorched4 ,there is another reason for this than the shallowness of the soil4 ,the almost utter lack of rain in that country from ,april to ,october leaves no chance for seed cast into shallow soil to live long4 ,and some fell among the thorns2 and the thorns sprang up1 and choked them4 ,for this the ,syrian farmer himself is largely to blame4 ,he preserves the thorns for cattle feed and for fuel4 ,certain kinds of thorns1 especially bellan1 are used as fuel for summer cooking1 which is done out of doors1 and for baking at the tennr4#d ,other thorns are harvested1 after the barley and #bij wheat harvests1 threshed1 and stored for winter feed4 ,in the sixth verse of the seventh chapter of the ,book of ,ecclesiastes the writer says1 ,for as the crackling of thorns under a pot1 so is the laughter of the fool4 ,the threshing of thorns is referred to in the ,book of ,judges1#e where it says1 ,when the ,lord hath delivered ,zabah and ,zalmunna into mine hand1 then ,i will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers4 ,but here again the ,english translation fails to give an exact rendering of the text1 although the marginal note replaces the word tears by the word thresh4 ,the ,arabic version says1 ,i will thresh your flesh with the thorns and briers of the wilderness with the threshing boards1 which is an exact picture of the treading of the oxen as they drag the threshing board over the thorns upon the threshing floor4 ,when a boy it was a great delight to me to wander in the wheatfields when the grain had just passed the milk stage and had begun to #bia mature and harden4 ,it is then called fereek1 and is delicious to eat1 either raw or roasted4 ,i could subsist a whole day by plucking the heads of wheat1 rubbing them in my hand and eating the fat1 soft1 fragrant grain4 ,from time immemorial wayfarers in the ,east have been allowed to trespass in this manner1 provided they carried no more grain away than that which they ate4 ,in the twenty-fifth verse of the twenty-third chapter of the ,book of ,deuteronomy the reading of the ,revised ,version is1 ,when thou comest into thy neighbor's standing corn1 then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand2 but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbor's standing corn4 ,it was the indulgence in this practice by the disciples1 on the ,sabbath1 which formed the basis of the ,pharisees' protest to ,jesus to the effect that his followers dishonored the sacred day4 ,in the sixth chapter of ,st4 ,luke's ,gospel1 the first verse1 the ,revised ,version rendering of the text is1 ,now it came to pass on a sabbath1 that he was going through the grainfields and his disciples plucked the #bib ears1 and did eat1 rubbing them in their hands4 ,the protest of the guardians of ,israel's law1 and ,jesus' answer in the verses which follow1 give us another revelation of the ,master's central thought and motive as a religious teacher2 namely1 that man's legitimate needs take precedence of all ecclesiastical formalities4 ,i do not believe any account of agricultural life in ,syria should omit mentioning the plague which above all others strikes terror into the heart of the ,eastern tiller of the soil4 ,in his prayer at the dedication of the temple1 ,solomon mentions blasting1 mildew1 locust1 and caterpillar4#f ,of all those unwelcome visitors1 the locusts are the most abhorred4 ,i will give my impression of this pest in a quotation from my autobiography3#g ,one of the never-to-be-forgotten phenomena of my early years1 a spectacle which the most extravagantly imaginative ,american mind cannot picture1 was the coming of the locusts into our part of the country4 ,if my memory serves me well1 ,i was about twelve years old when my father #bic and all his men1 together with all the male population over fifteen1 were impressed by the governor of our district to fight the devastating hosts of ,oriental locusts4 ,no one who has not seen such a spectacle and the desolation those winged creatures leave behind them can appreciate in the least degree the force of the saying of ,the ,lord ,god of the ,hebrews to ,pharaoh1 ,if thou refuse to let my people go1 behold1 to-morrow ,i will bring the locusts into thy coasts4#h ,for a few weeks before they deluged our district the news came with the caravans that the locusts were sweeping toward our region from the land of the south4 ,we youngsters did not know why our elders were so terror-stricken when they heard of it1 until the scourge had come and gone4 ,it was a few weeks before the time of the harvest when the clouds of locusts enveloped our community4 ,they hid the sun with their greenish-yellow wings1 covered the trees and the ground1 the walls and roofs of the houses1 and dashed in our faces like flakes of snow driven by the wind4 ,the utter hopelessness of the task which confronted our people and seemed to unite all classes in despair1 assumed in my sight a very comic aspect1 and converted the calamity into a holiday4 ,it was so amusing to me to see our sedate aristocrats and old men and women join the youth #bid and the common laborers in shouting1 beating on tin cans1 firing muskets1 setting brush on fire1 striking at the cursed insects with their hands1 stamping them with their feet1 and praying ,god to send a strong wind to drive the enemy of man away4 ,every mutekellif 7payer of the toll-tax7 had to fight the locusts for so many days or hire a substitute1 ,i do not clearly remember whether it was the beating on tin cans and howling of the people or the prayed-for strong wind that drove the merry locusts away4 ,what ,i do remember is that when they did go away they left the land almost stripped clean of every green thing4 ,it was no vain threatening when the writer of ,deuteronomy warned ,israel1 saying1 ,if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the ,lord thy ,god11 to observe to do all his commandments4444 ,all thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume4#i #a ,mic4 iv3 #d4 #b ,is4 lxiii3 #b4 #c ,job xxiv3 #aa4 #d ,see page #bja4 #e ,judges viii3 #g4 #f #a ,kings viii3 #cg4 #g ,a ,far ,journey1 page #aji1 etc4 #h ,exod4 x3 #dj4 #i ,deut4 xxvii3 #ae1 #db4 #bie ,,chapter ,,vi ,,the ,,shepherd ,i am the good shepherd is one of ,jesus' most tender1 most compassionate sayings4 ,the first sixteen verses of the tenth chapter of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel1 from which this saying comes1 should be joined to the twenty-third ,psalm4 ,notwithstanding the fact that ,john's words are tinged with ,greek thought1 as descriptive of shepherd life in the ,east1 those two portions of ,scripture belong together4 ,the various phases of shepherd life in ,syria are indelibly printed in my memory4 ,our mountain village home was situated on the upper slope of a rather steep hill1 at the base of which a thin stream flowed over its rocky bed4 ,across the narrow ravine1 on the lower slope of another hill1 just opposite our home1 there were three sheep and goat folds4 ,there for years ,i watched the shepherds and their flocks go out and come in1 morning and evening1 from early #bif spring until late autumn1 when the shepherds dismantled the folds by removing their thorny fences1 pulled down their rude bowers1 and led their flocks to the lowlands1 where they spent the short winter season4 ,the wailing of ,isaiah1 in the twelfth verse of the thirty-eighth chapter 7,revised ,version71 ,my dwelling is removed and is carried away from me as a shepherd's tent1 reminds me very strongly of the easy removal and complete disappearance of that temporary shelter1 which ,i so often saw torn down and carried away4 ,while at work in the fields cutting stone for my father's building operations in various parts of ,mount ,lebanon1 the shepherds were all around us4 ,in those days ,i watched the shepherd lead his flock into the waters of rest1 or the restful1 refreshing waters1 which the ,english version renders still waters4 ,i watched him as1 by inarticulate1 deep1 guttural sounds1 whistling1 certain characteristic words which the flock seemed to understand1 and the flinging of pebbles or smooth stones1 such as those #big with which ,david smote ,goliath1 he guided1 ,i might say invited1 the blessed creatures1 into every nook and corner among the rocks where there was pasture4 ,it was this solicitous watchfulness of the shepherd which the writer of the twenty-third ,psalm had in mind when he said1 ,the ,lord is my shepherd1 ,i shall not want4 ,in the heat of the day the shepherd made his flock to lie down in the pasture ground1 and the blessed ones1 as the shepherd always calls his sheep and goats1 would fold their nimble legs and lie down1 singly and in small groups1 a surpassing picture of contentment1 trustfulness1 and peace4 ,they seemed to realize that although they were in the wilderness they had nothing to fear4 ,for the loving shepherd1 with his strong and heavy staff1 was in their midst to ward off all danger from them4 ,the opening verses of the tenth chapter of the ,gospel of ,john contain most significant allusions to the sheepfold4 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold1 but climbeth up some other #bih way1 the same is a thief and a robber4 ,here the reference is to the fold of the dry season1 such as those ,i have already mentioned4 ,the winter sheepfold is a roofed stone hovel called merah4 ,it has one low door and no windows2 therefore1 by climbing up the fold1 some other way the robber could secure no booty4 ,the roofless fold is called hedherah and is built of rough stones 7such as are used in ,new ,england stone fences7 to the height of five feet4 ,above the stone construction rises a high seyaj 7hedge7 of thorny branches1 securely fastened between the stones4 ,it is this hedge which is especially designed to prevent the thief and robber from climbing into the sheepfold4 ,but he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep4 ,to him the porter openeth2 and the sheep hear his voice3 and he calleth his own sheep by name1 and leadeth them out4 ,the shepherd's rude tent is located near the door4 ,there also his faithful dog lies4 ,the word porter in the text refers more1 perhaps1 to a ,greek than ,syrian custom4 ,however1 in case of #bii large flocks1 the under-shepherd1 or the helper1 who guards the door1 answers to the porter4 ,the calling of the sheep or goats by name should not be taken literally4 ,the animals are not named as persons are4 ,the shepherd knows all the members of his flock by certain individual characteristics1 and realizes the fact quickly when one of them is lost4 ,the more prominent ones are given adjectival names1 such as the pure white1 the striped1 the black1 the brown1 the gray-eared1 etc4 ,but it should be borne in mind that the saying1 ,and he calleth his own sheep by name1 and leadeth them out1 indicates the tender love of the shepherd for his flock1 but not that the animals answer to their names4 ,they are never trained to do that4 ,he leadeth them out1 not by calling their names1 but by giving certain sounds which they recognize4 ,and when he putteth forth his own sheep1 he goeth before them1 and the sheep follow him3 for they know his voice4 ,i find that the strong emphasis which commentators in general place #cjj upon the shepherd's going before the flock carries the impression that he does so invariably4 ,so far as ,i know1 this is not absolutely correct4 ,as a rule1 the shepherd goes before the flock1 but not infrequently he is seen behind it4 ,the shepherd walks behind1 especially in the evening when the flock is on its way to the fold1 in order that he may gather the stragglers and protect them from the stealthy wolf4 ,the shepherd often walks by the side of the flock1 at about the middle of the line4 ,in case of large flocks the shepherd goes before1 and the helper behind4 ,one of the great delights of my boyhood days was the sight of the returning flock every evening on the pebbly road on the side of the hill close by our house4 ,i go up on the housetop at dusk4 ,as soon as ,i hear the swishing roar of the multitude of little sharp hoofs on the stony road1 which is like the sound of an approaching hailstorm among the trees1 then ,i know that the blessed ones are near4 ,the long line of horny and hornless heads sweeps down the slope #cja of the hill like an army on a double-quick4 ,with his strong1 protecting staff in hand1 the stalwart1 tender1 ever-watchful shepherd appears at the end of the line1 and like an overshadowing ,providence guides his beloved flock safely over the little stream and into the fold4 ,the effective1 and1 ,i might say1 unerring1 guidance of the shepherd is especially shown when he leads his flock in the narrow paths4 ,in ,syria as a rule the fields are not fenced4 ,the pastures and the planted fields are separated by narrow footpaths1 and here and there by low stone walls1 which are intended1 however1 more for landmarks than for fences4 ,the fields are the forbidden ground4 ,in transferring his flock from one pasture to another1 the shepherd must not allow any of his animals to stray from the beaten path into the fields4 ,for if he does1 he will not only have to pay damages to the owners of the fields1 but will ruin his own reputation as a shepherd4 ,in my home town we had a shepherd who was widely famed for his skill in leading his flock in the narrow paths4 ,sa'ied1 who #cjb supplied our community with goat's milk during the summer1 was often known to guide a flock of about one hundred and fifty head of goats 7which are much more unruly than sheep7 without a helper1 in a narrow path or over a stone wall1 for a considerable distance1 without allowing a single one of them to set foot on the forbidden ground4 ,the flock obeyed him because they knew his voice as that of their good shepherd4 ,it was no doubt such shepherds as ,sa'ied that lent the writer of the twenty-third ,psalm his telling figure4 ,it was the faithful guidance of such earthly shepherds that led the ancient singer to meditate upon the ,lord's faithfulness to his own1 and to utter his faith in the line1 ,he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake4 ,the fields of temptation lie on either side of the narrow path of rectitude and life4 ,the ,lord will protect and lead in the right path all those who know ,him and hear ,his voice4 ,another enchanting picture of ,syrian pastoral #cjc life is the gathering of the flock4 ,the shepherd seeks and gathers his sheep for the purpose of transferring them to a richer pasture1 or1 at the end of the day1 to lead them back to the fold4 ,he stands in the midst of the far-scattered flock and gives certain sounds1 which are to the sheep what the notes of a bugle are to an army4 ,his trained right arm1 whose long range and precision are proverbial1 sends the pebbles whirring in all directions1 and thus turns back the more heedless of the flock4 ,it was this which the ,psalmist had in mind when he said1 ,he restoreth my soul4 ,the ,arabic phrase yeriddo nefsee1 means1 he turns back my soul1 and refers to the action of the shepherd in turning the course of his sheep toward himself4 ,the faithful shepherd never proceeds to lead his flock away until he is assured that all his dumb companions are gathered together4 ,with what pathos does the prophet ,ezekiel portray this pastoral scene when he speaks of the infinite compassion of the divine shepherd of ,israel1 who never slumbers nor sleeps6 ,in the #cjd thirty-fourth chapter1 the eleventh verse1 the promise to scattered ,israel is1 ,for thus saith the ,lord ,god3 ,behold1 ,i1 even ,i1 will both search for my sheep1 and seek them out4 ,as a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered2 so will ,i seek out my sheep1 and will deliver them out of all the places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day4 ,and ,i will bring them out from the people1 and gather them from the countries1 and will bring them to their own land1 and feed them upon the mountains of ,israel by the rivers1 and in all the inhabited places of the country4 ,i will feed them in a good pasture1 and upon the high mountains of ,israel shall their fold be2 there shall they lie in a good fold1 and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of ,israel4444 ,i will seek that which was lost1 and bring again that which was driven away4 ,the climax of the shepherd figure1 as it is used in the tenth chapter of the ,gospel of ,john1 is reached in ,christ's saying1 ,i am the good #cje shepherd3 the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep1 and in the twenty-third ,psalm1 in the passage1 ,though ,i walk through the valley of the shadow of death1 ,i will fear no evil2 for thou art with me3 thy rod and thy staff1 they comfort me4 ,only those who have heard the howling of a faithful shepherd at the approach of a wild beast to the flock can clearly realize how literally true is this saying of ,christ's3 ,the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep4 ,of all the shepherds ,i have known or have known about in my native land1 the commanding figure of one--,yusuf ,balua'--rises most prominently before me4 ,i never want to forget old ,yusuf4 ,he was over sixty when ,i first knew him4 ,he was every inch a shepherd1 having known no other vocation in all his life4 ,i knew that elemental man in the lowlands1 where ,i spent two winters with my father1 who was called thither to erect several farmhouses for the lord of the land4 ,yusuf1 as he himself expressed it1 revered my father2 therefore1 ,i #cjf was always welcome to visit ,yusuf at his cave in the rocky gorge1 and to roam with him and his flock whenever my duties as my father's helper permitted4 ,the flocks are kept in the lowlands until after the time of birth1 which comes in ,march2 then they are led up into the mountains4 ,it was during that blessed time of birth1 and while with ,yusuf1 that ,i first beheld the original of that infinitely tender picture which is drawn in the fortieth chapter of ,isaiah1 the eleventh verse1 and which is also ,christ's most appealing picture4 ,he shall feed his flock like a shepherd1 says the prophet2 he shall gather the lambs with his arm1 and carry them in his bosom1 and shall gently lead those that are with young4 ,the text is very effectively improved by the marginal note which says1 and shall gently lead those that give suck4 ,it was that which ,yusuf ,balua' was doing once when ,i happened to be with him4 ,his roughly hewn figure stands now before me1 with three newly born lambs held close to his bosom1 and their #cjg wilted heads resting on his massive arm4 ,he walked gently before the anxious1 slowly moving mothers1 which came close behind him1 emitting low1 humming sounds1 through which ,nature poured out her compassionate heart4 ,let me carry one of them1 ,i begged ,yusuf4 ,no1 my boy1 not the helpless ones1 answered the tender friend4 ,they need the shepherd's care now4 ,besides1 the mothers don't know you and they would fear4 ,but they knew his voice and followed him6 ,oh1 if we will but know and trust and follow our heavenly ,shepherd1 as the sheep trust and follow theirs6 ,but ,i must not lose sight of what ,i have called the climax of the shepherd figure in the ,gospel and the ,psalms2 namely1 the shepherd's interposing with his own life between the flock and the wolf4 ,the wolf1 the hyena1 and the leopard are the flock's most formidable foes4 ,during his long life ,yusuf fought many battles with those ferocious beasts1 but never lost a hoof to them in all those encounters4 ,on more #cjh than one occasion he followed the hyena to his lair1 and1 by his characteristic howling1 flinging his deadly stones with his sling1 and striking with his heavy staff on the rocks1 compelled the beast to abandon his prey4 ,whether the unfortunate sheep was yet alive or whether it had died1 ,yusuf1 as a good and faithful shepherd1 always carried it back to the fold4 ,does not the prophet ,amos assure ,israel of their ,shepherd's infinite care for them in an allusion to the faithful seeking by the earthly shepherd for even a fragment of his lost sheep8 ,thus saith ,jehovah1 cries ,amos2 ,as the shepherd rescueth out of the mouth of the lion two legs1 or a piece of an ear2 so shall the children of ,israel be rescued4#a ,to this care and devotion of the shepherd1 ,jesus also alludes in his parabolic saying in which he speaks of his having come to save that which was lost4 ,how think ye8 if a man have an hundred sheep1 and one of them be gone astray1 doth he not leave the ninety and nine1 and goeth into the mountains1 #cji and seeketh that which is gone astray8 ,and if so be that he find it1 verily ,i say unto you1 he rejoiceth more of that sheep1 than of the ninety and nine which went not astray4 ,even so it is not the will of your ,father which is in heaven1 that one of these little ones should perish6#b ,when ,i think of that deep1 rocky gorge where ,yusuf wintered with his flock1 and the many similar valleys which the ,syrian shepherds have to traverse daily2 when ,i think of the wild beasts they have to fight1 of the scars they bear on their bodies as marks of their unreserved and boundless devotion to their flocks1 ,i realize very clearly the depth of the ,psalmist's faith when he said1 ,though ,i walk through the valley of the shadow of death1 ,i will fear no evil2 for thou art with me3 thy rod and thy staff1 they comfort me4 #a ,amos iii3 #ab4 ,revised ,version4 #b ,matt4 xviii3 #ab-ad4 #cac ,,part ,v ,,sisters ,,of ,,mary ,,and ,,martha ,,chapter ,i ,,woman ,,east ,,and ,,west ,perhaps on no other subject do the ,orient and the ,occident diverge more widely than on that of the status of woman4 ,so far as they really differ1 and as they imagine that they differ in their regard for woman1 the ,orientals and the ,occidentals form two distinct human types4 ,from the beginning of their history1 the ,teutonic races1 especially the ,anglo-,saxons1 have been characterized by their high regard for woman4 ,this trait of the dwellers of north-western ,europe so impressed the ,latin ,christian missionaries1 when they first visited those peoples1 that they described them as having such high regard for woman to the extent that adultery was unknown among them4 ,and while the concluding phrase of this historical testimony does not describe the present state of ,anglo-,saxon society with absolute correctness1 #cad the statement as a whole seems to me to be a substantially correct description of present ,anglo-,saxon life4 ,among the peoples of north-western ,europe1 and especially among their descendants in ,america1 woman enjoys man's highest regard4 ,on the other hand1 the ,oriental view of woman has always been considered by those ,western peoples to be very contemptuous4 ,we always hate most deeply that vice which is the opposite of our strongest virtue4 ,we are most likely to exaggerate and to condemn mercilessly any deviation from that which we ourselves consider to be the sacred path of duty4 ,respect for woman being one of his strongest virtues1 the ,anglo-,saxon is lashed to fury by what seems to him to be the ,oriental's utter disrespect for the mother of the race4 ,as ,i have already stated in other connections in this work1 my object is neither to accuse the ,oriental nor to excuse his moral failures4 ,my aim is rather to interpret him to my ,western readers and to determine1 if possible1 to what #cae extent he really is a transgressor of the normal rules of behavior toward woman4 ,my intimate knowledge of life in both hemispheres and my affectionate regard for the good qualities of both the ,orientals and the ,occidentals lead me to venture to be a reconciler of their differences4 ,they certainly misunderstand one another1 especially with reference to the domestic and social relations of the sexes4 ,time was when the various races hugged their prejudices close to their own hearts and really enjoyed ridiculing one another4 ,but the hour cometh and now is when the peoples of the earth are beginning to realize that righteousness and truth1 kindness and good manners1 are the exclusive possessions of no one race4 ,the peoples of the earth are beginning to realize that a mutual sympathetic understanding between the various races is an asset of civilization1 and a promoter of the cause of that human commonwealth for which all good men pray and hope4 ,therefore1 as one who owes much to both the ,east and the ,west1 #caf ,i deem it my duty to do what ,i can to promote such a sympathetic understanding1 without doing violence to the truth4 ,what is an obvious fact1 and which can by no means be ignored1 even by the most zealous special pleader1 is that the ,eastern woman is far from being the equal of her ,western sister1 either in culture or in domestic and social privileges4 ,perhaps in no other country does woman enjoy these blessings to the extent to which the ,american woman enjoys them4 ,woman as man's intellectual companion1 as a promoter of ideals1 as a factor in domestic and social evolution1 the ,orient has never known4 ,the ,western type of woman is now partially represented in my native land by a minority of cultivated women1 but their number is comparatively very small4 ,the ,oriental social code 7if the simple social usages in that part of the world may be termed such7 gives man the precedence4 ,to give woman the social and domestic prominence1 the little attentions and courtesies which she #cag enjoys in ,america1 is to the ,orientals not only unnecessary1 but uncomplimentary to both sexes4 ,it is perhaps for lack of such attentions and courtesies1 more than for anything else1 that the ,occidentals consider the ,oriental woman to be the slave of her husband4 ,and1 conversely1 because of his giving the precedence to woman in all the courtesies and comforts of life1 the ,orientals1 both men and women1 consider the ,occidental to be the slave of his wife4 ,how often have ,i heard ,syrians say1 ,an affrenjee that is1 a ,european is quite a man until his wife whispers something to him4 ,then he becomes her slave2 he does just what she tells him4 ,the ,oriental's indifference to those fine points of behavior toward woman does not spring from the fact that he considers her to be intrinsically his inferior1 and consequently his slave4 ,i never had the slightest reason1 nor the faintest suggestion1 either by example or precept1 to believe that my mother was in any way #cah my father's inferior4 ,thou shalt honour thy father and thy mother is a commandment which was born of the deepest life of the ,east4 ,i can think of no circumstances in ,eastern life which compel a ,syrian to think of his mother1 sister1 and wife in other than terms of equality in all essentials with the male members of the family4#a ,in my judgment it is the ,oriental's deportment1 rather than his real intentions1 which condemns him in the sight of ,occidentals for his attitude toward woman4 ,it is perhaps hazardous to undertake to differentiate between character and conduct1 between the motive and the method by which that motive is put into action4 ,it is customary1 however1 to say of a person that his heart is in the right place1 but he does not know how to act4 ,i venture to say that #cai this characterization fits the case of the average ,oriental4 ,his heart is in the right place4 ,his natural endowments are good4 ,he is quick-witted1 kind1 generous1 pious1 obedient to parents1 and a lover of his home4 ,so far as all these fundamentals are concerned1 ,i find no great difference between the ,easterners and the ,westerners4 ,however1 compared with his ,western cousin1 the son of the ,near ,east has only a slight acquaintance with the art of living4 ,the working-out of details with the view of creating harmony has always seemed to him vanity and vexation of spirit4 ,his intense desire for simple1 spontaneous1 easy living has always refused to be encumbered by exacting standards4 ,in this respect he is a boy in man's clothing4 ,for an example1 the home to him is little more than a shelter4 ,the riches of the home are not the artistic appointments1 but human associations4 ,architectural schemes1 interior decorations1 books1 musical instruments1 living by the clock1 and other ,western glories are to the ,oriental #cbj dispensable luxuries4 ,the one-room or two-room house1 very simply furnished1 is the essential part of the home4 ,why then should one be burdened with more8 ,the color scheme1 the harmony or contrast of wall-paper with picture frames and carpets1 and the thousand and one articles of useful and ornamental furniture which crowd the ,american home and make the servant-girl problem well-nigh insoluble1 are to the average ,oriental a delusion and a snare4 ,his table appointments are also very simple4 ,to him the one thing needful is enough food to sustain life4 ,he has no cook-book4 ,the varieties of cake and pie1 and the multitude of side dishes which load the ,american table1 do not appear on the ,syrian's bill of fare4 ,one dish of cooked cereals1 or meat and rice or some other wholesome combination1 and a few loaves of bread1 satisfy his hunger4 ,his modest stores of grape molasses1 figs1 and raisins1 which he visits at irregular intervals1 satisfy his craving for sweets1 and his home-made wine gives color and gayety to his feasts4 #cba ,the same simple rules govern the ,oriental's social activities4 ,whether as an individual or as a domestic and social being1 he hates to be standardized4 ,to him formalities have no claim upon those who are true friends and social equals4 ,spontaneous living must not be too closely yoked with etiquette1 nor native wisdom with technical culture4 ,meta weck'at elmahabbet artafa' ettekleef 7when love occurs formalities cease7 is one of the ,oriental's ancient and cherished maxims4 ,from early childhood the ,americans are taught to observe1 even within the family circle1 the niceties of ,please1 ,thank you1 ,pardon me1 ,i beg your pardon1 ,may ,i trouble you1 and so forth4 ,to a son of the ,east such behavior is altogether proper among strangers1 but not among those who really love one another4 ,between husband and wife1 parent and child1 brothers and sisters1 and true friends such formalities appear to ,easterners not only superficial1 but utterly ridiculous4 ,for such persons the most essential thing is that they should love one another4 ,as #cbb lovers they have a right to demand favors from one another4 ,the commands of love are sweet2 they must not be alloyed with tiresome formalities4 ,of course this friendliness of the ,oriental is not altogether an unmixed blessing4 ,he relies too much upon his good intentions1 which his conduct does not always show4 ,judged1 not only by ,western standards1 but by the standards of the cultivated minority of his own people1 he is found wanting4 ,it is not always easy for him to be familiar without being vulgar1 and to distinguish between the legitimate claims of friendship and intrusion upon the exclusive rights of others4 ,his plea always is that he means well1 which is generally true4 ,his heart is in the right place4 ,now ,i believe it can be easily seen that the ,easterner's attitude toward woman1 which now rises to the height of religious reverence1 now verges on contempt1 is to be traced to his uneven1 juvenile temperament and lack of culture1 and not to the fact that he despises her4 #cbc ,so long as he respects her in his heart and is ready to defend her at whatever cost1 he considers the fine points of conduct toward her after the ,american fashion to be simply dispensable little details4 ,nor does his attitude toward woman differ essentially from his attitude toward the male portion of mankind4 ,he has one vocabulary for both sexes1 with the inclination to be more respectful toward the gentler sex4 ,so woman in the ,east is not considered a slave by the man1 and there is a multitude of wife-ruled husbands4 ,the family system1 however1 is patriarchal4 ,the man is recognized as the lord of the household4 ,the venerable father of a family is supposed to rule1 not only over the women of the household1 but over his grown sons1 his younger brothers1 and even the men of his clan who are younger than himself4 ,but such an authority is often purely formal4 ,the higher the level of culture in the home1 the more freedom and equality exists among the members of the family4 ,in cultivated ,syrian #cbd homes the women are free and highly and uniformly respected by the men4 ,such women have no reason to envy even the happiest ,american women4 #a ,my statements apply particularly to the ,christian women of ,syria1 who enjoy greater domestic and social privileges than the ,mohammedan women4 ,however1 notwithstanding the serious limitations which orthodox ,mohammedanism imposes upon women1 it would be sheer injustice to the better class of ,mohammedans to be stigmatized as enslavers and debasers of woman4 #cbe ,,chapter ,,ii ,,paul ,,and ,,woman ,perhaps nowhere else is the ,syrian attitude toward woman so clearly stated as in the teachings of ,st4 ,paul4 ,the great ,apostle deals with the fundamentals of this subject1 and speaks freely of both the privileges and the limitations of woman in the ,christian ,east4 ,in the third chapter of the ,epistle to the ,galatians1 the twenty-eighth verse1 ,paul says1 ,there is neither male nor female3 for ye are all one in ,christ ,jesus4 ,and this equality is not to be understood to be limited to the bestowal of church rites upon men and women alike4 ,it embraces the essential points of conduct of the male and female members of the household toward one another4 ,fidelity to the marriage vow is to be equally observed by both husband and wife4 ,this the ,apostle urges upon his fellow believers1 not as a superior authority1 #cbf but as a friend4 ,in the seventh chapter of the ,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians1 the fourth verse1 he says1 ,the wife hath not power over her own body1 but the husband2 and likewise also the husband hath not power over his own body1 but the wife4 ,in the fourteenth verse of this same chapter1 the equal potency of the spiritual influence of both the husband and the wife is also recognized4 ,the unbelieving husband1 says the ,apostle1 is sanctified by the wife1 and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband4 ,in the fifth chapter of the ,epistle to the ,ephesians1 the ,apostle to the ,gentiles rises to the noblest height of ,eastern thought concerning woman and reveals ,christianity's conserving and sanctifying power4 ,beginning at the twenty-fifth verse1 he says3 ,husbands1 love your wives1 even as ,christ also loved the church1 and gave himself for it2 that he might sanctify and cleanse it1 444 that he might present it to himself a glorious church1 not having spot1 or wrinkle1 or any such thing2 but that it should be holy and without blemish4 #cbg ,so ought men to love their wives as their own bodies4 ,he that loveth his wife loveth himself4 ,for no man ever yet hated his own flesh2 but nourisheth and cherisheth it1 even as the ,lord the church4 ,this is precisely what the marriage union in the ,east always meant to us4 ,by this sacred bond the husband and the wife are made one flesh4 ,that the ,oriental has not definitely succeeded in making his daily conduct always conform to his highest ideals and to the noble precepts of the ,gospel is evident1 and not at all strange4 ,here he has succeeded no better than his ,anglo-,saxon superior has in conforming his conduct to the command1 ,love your enemies4 ,my point is that down deep in the ,syrian heart the spirit of ,paul's words abides4 ,it serves the son of the ,east in time of trouble as his quick and tender conscience4 ,the real trouble with him has been his aversion to strictly systematic living4 ,he does love his wife as he loves himself1 but in reality he does not fully know how to love himself4 #cbh ,paul1 on the other hand1 does not ignore the conventional limitations which ,eastern traditions impose upon woman4 ,he recognizes the patriarchal government of the family4 ,in the chapter just quoted1 the ,apostle says3 ,wives1 submit yourselves unto your own husbands1 as unto the ,lord4 ,for the husband is the head of the wife1 even as ,christ is the head of the ,church4 ,much trouble may be avoided by the unfriendly critics of ,paul and ,christianity in general1 if such critics would keep in mind the conditional nature of this command4 ,whether as a ,syrian or as an ,american ,i do not believe in subjecting the wife to the husband1 nor the husband to the wife4 ,domestic life should be based on perfect coperation of husband and wife1 in spiritual as well as in administrative matters4 ,toward this goal the ,americans have made the greatest advance4 ,however1 ,paul's command can by no means be justly construed as giving the husband unlimited tyrannical authority over the wife4 ,the husband is the head of the wife1 even as ,christ is the head of the #cbi ,church4 ,the church is not the slave of ,christ1 but his beloved bride4 ,so the supremacy here is that of loving care and consideration4 ,therefore1 the fact that the traditions of the ,east give the man conventional supremacy over the woman has never meant to us sons of that land that our mothers and sisters were abject slaves4 ,and it should be borne in mind that the women of ,syria are not always so submissive as those traditions would lead a ,westerner to believe4 ,i might say that in the majority of cases the man finds it no easy task to make his formal authority over the woman of real effect4 ,the heartfelt complaints of discouraged husbands1 that not even all the angels of heaven can subdue a woman1 are not unfrequently heard in the land of the ,bible4 ,perhaps the part of ,paul's teaching which seems to ,westerners to seal the fate of woman is that found in the eleventh chapter of the ,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians4 ,here the ,apostle declares3 ,for a man indeed ought not to cover his head1 forasmuch as he is the image and glory #ccj of ,god3 but the woman is the glory of the man4 ,neither was the man created for the woman2 but the woman for the man4 ,i think any serious ,bible student will easily realize that as a good shepherd ,paul must have felt that he should not travel much faster than the weakest of his flock4 ,in the passage just quoted he stoops low for the purpose of accommodating the prejudices of certain ,orientals4 ,and in so doing he contradicts his own saying1 ,there is neither male nor female3 for ye are all one in ,christ ,jesus1 and the great passage in the first chapter of ,genesis1 the twenty-seventh verse1 ,so ,god created man in his own image1 in the image of ,god created he him2 male and female created he them4 ,the ,eastern man has from time immemorial decreed that woman's social privileges should be limited1 because of his fear for her4 ,in such an unstable social order as that which has existed in the ,east for ages woman is constantly exposed to danger4 ,woman-stealing was very prevalent in ancient times1 and is still practiced #cca among the ,arabian tribes which hover on the eastern borders of ,syria4 ,in modern ,syria such practices no longer exist1 but their faint echoes are still heard in times of tribal fights4 ,on such occasions the cry is heard 7and ,i often heard it myself71 ,you dogs1 to-day we shall take your women booty nesbee hereemekm4 ,it is because of these ancient fears1 and not from a desire on the part of the man to enslave her1 that the social privileges of the woman in the ,east are so limited4 ,the duty to protect always carries with it the right to discipline4 ,and the greater the danger1 the more strict the discipline4 ,the weaker men of the clan1 because they need to be protected1 are also in subjection to the men of counsel 7ahil erry7 and to the stronger fighters4 ,and it may be easily inferred that in such circumstances woman's charms are a danger to her4 ,she must be secluded1 as among the ,mohammedans1 or simply limited in her social intercourse1 as among the ,christians1 in order to hide those charms from the curious stranger4 #ccb ,for this reason also she must be heavily veiled when she goes out1 as among the ,moslems1 or at least have her head covered always1 as among the ,christians4 ,so when ,paul said1 ,every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoreth her head1#a he simply gave wise recognition to an ancient social custom4 ,a more liberal course on his part would have marked ,paul as a violent disturber of venerable traditions4 ,the chief charm of an ,oriental woman is her hishmat 7modesty74 ,but modesty in a stricter sense than that accepted in the ,occident4 ,feminine timidity 7jubn7 is very extensively sung by the ,arabian poets4 ,a charming woman1 especially a maiden1 is she who is timid1 shy1 retiring1 of a few words4 ,she has a mouth to eat1 but not to speak1 is a high tribute paid to a maiden4 ,for a woman to take a leading part in conversation in the presence of men is boldness4 ,i do not know how they manage to do it1 but1 as a rule1 in the presence of men the women of #ccc ,syria exercise marvelous control over their organs of speech4 ,do you understand now why ,paul says1 in the fourteenth chapter of his ,first ,epistle to the ,corinthians1 the thirty-fourth verse1 ,let your women keep silence in the ,churches3 for it is not permitted unto them to speak2 but they are commanded to be under obedience8 ,to ,oriental ears1 as perhaps to ,puritan ears of the good old type1 such words are poetry set to music4 ,they do not degrade1 but honor woman by not making her common4 ,it would1 perhaps1 throw further light on the ,easterners' regard of woman as a sacred being when it is known why they call the wife hrmat4 ,this term is derived from heram--a consecrated and wholly sacred object4 ,heram is the name of the ,mohammedans' most sacred shrine of ,mecca4 ,the wife is the husband's most sacred possession1 therefore she is called hrmat4 ,the plural of this is harem1 a term which to ,westerners has a most obnoxious connotation4 ,but not so to ,orientals4 ,in the ,west #ccd harem simply means sensuality and polygamy in their worst form4 ,in the ,east it means simply and purely the women of a household1 or of a clan1 whether it be ,christian or ,mohammedan4 ,it does not necessarily mean plurality of wives4 ,a man's mother1 wife1 sisters1 and daughters constitute his harem2 for they are all sacred to him4 ,now it will not be difficult to understand1 ,i believe1 why it is that the man in the ,east takes precedence of the woman in all social affairs1 and why the sexes are segregated at public feasts and on other similar occasions4 ,it is for the same reason that we find no women disciples at the ,last ,supper4 ,in the parable of the prodigal son1 the father meets the returning penitent1 the father bestows the best robe on the son1 the father orders the feast1 and doubtless presides over it4 ,so it was also when ,abraham entertained the angels1 and ,zacchus entertained ,jesus--the man was the entertainer4 ,however1 in these two cases the women might have acted as hostesses1--because the #cce guests were holy persons4 ,we have a striking example of the freedom which is permitted to women in such cases in the story of ,mary and ,martha4 ,they entertained ,jesus1 first because apparently they had no parents living1 and their brother was young1 and second because ,jesus was no mere guest1 but a holy person4#b ,notwithstanding all these social conventions1 however1 the mother has a right to demand from her children the same loving obedience which they accord to their father4 ,they must honor their father and their mother alike4 ,upon coming home from a journey ,i always saluted my parents by kissing their hands1 as a mark of loving submission4 ,according to custom1 ,i saluted my father first1 and my mother second1 but in the same identical manner1 and invoked their radha 7good pleasure7 toward me1 with religious reverence4 ,i always knew that to disrespect and disobey my mother was not only bad manners1 but a sin4 ,so obnoxious has disobedience to parents been to the respectable #ccf families of the ,east that the ancient ,israelites made it a capital crime4 ,in the twenty-first chapter of the ,book of ,deuteronomy the stipulation of the law is3 ,if a man have a stubborn and rebellious son1 which will not obey the voice of his father1 or the voice of his mother1 and that1 when they have chastened him1 will not hearken unto them3 then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him1 and bring him out unto the elders of his city1 and unto the gate of his place2 and they shall say unto the elders of his city1 ,this our son is stubborn and rebellious1 he will not obey our voice4444 ,and all the men of his city shall stone him with stones1 that he die4#c ,needless to say that this cruel punishment is no longer inflicted upon rebellious sons in the ,east4 ,the record1 however1 indicates the joint authority of the husband and wife over their own children1 and the public approval of it4 ,but there is more to be said about radha-elwalideen 7the parents' good pleasure74 ,i do #ccg not know whether the words good pleasure convey the real significance of the word radha1 which as it pertains to parents is one of the most sacred terms in ,oriental speech4 ,the radha of a parent is a benediction which includes complete forgiveness to the child of all offenses and indicates the parent's spiritual satisfaction with his offspring4 ,to secure the parent's expressed radha at the hour of death is equal to a sacrament4 ,i can think of no human experience that can be more impressive1 more tender1 and more deeply religious than that of an ,oriental imploring a dying parent to assure him of his or her radha before the end came4 ,the weeping son grasps the hand of his dying parent1 and1 leaning over tenderly to catch the faint utterances1 says3 ,father1#d bestow your radha upon me2 forgive me and bless me1 so that ,allah also may forgive and bless me2 your radha1 father6 ,if the departing parent is still able to speak1 he looks up toward heaven and says3 ,you have my radha1 my dearly beloved #cch son2 and may ,allah bestow his holy radha upon you and bless you and the work of your hands4 ,may the earth produce riches for you1 and heaven shower benedictions upon you2 pray for me1 my dearly beloved4 ,but if the departing father or mother is no longer able to utter words1 the repeated pressing of the hand and the turning of the eyes upward indicate the parent's response to the petition of the son or daughter4 ,the refusal of a parent to grant his radha1 which is most rare1 is to an ,oriental a haunting horror4 ,in ancient ,israel the deathbed blessing was bestowed with special emphasis upon the first-born son because with it came the heritage of the patriarchal office4 ,thus1 when ,isaac bestowed his last blessing upon his tricky son ,jacob1 he said3#e ,god give thee of the dew of heaven1 and the fatness of the earth1 and plenty of corn and wine3 ,let people serve thee1 and nations bow down to thee3 be lord over thy brethren1 and let thy mother's sons bow down #cci to thee4 ,and what is also most touching in this story is poor ,esau's agony when he discovered that the blessing to which he was the rightful heir had gone to his brother4 ,and ,esau said unto his father1 ,hast thou but one blessing1 my father8 bless me1 even me also1 ,o my father4 ,and ,esau lifted up his voice and wept4#f #a #a ,cor4 xi3 #e4 #b ,see page #bjg4 #c ,verses #ah-ba4 #d ,the same also is asked of the mother4 #e ,gen4 xxvii3 #bh1 #bi4 #f ,gen4 xxvii3 #ch4 #cdj ,,chapter ,,iii ,,jesus ,,and ,,his ,,mother ,one of the perplexing passages in the ,new ,testament is that found in the fourth verse of the second chapter of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel1 where ,jesus says to his mother1 ,woman1 what have ,i to do with thee8 ,that it has been very difficult for many devout readers of the ,bible to reconcile this passage to the ,master's gentleness and goodness is very well known to me4 ,on numerous occasions ,i have been asked to give my interpretation of this saying in the light of the status of woman in the ,east1 and to state whether1 in my opinion as a ,syrian1 ,jesus could have meant to be harsh and disrespectful to his mother4 ,before undertaking to give my own view of this passage1 ,i wish to present two interpretations of it which ,i have heard certain ,american preachers give4 ,one of those preachers who was proud to call himself a free lance stated in my hearing that on the #cda occasion when ,jesus spoke these words he simply lost his temper4 ,the redeeming feature of this comment1 in my opinion1 is its brevity4 ,it is short1 but neither sweet nor to the point4 ,the other interpreter 7or interpreters1 for ,i do not recall where and when ,i heard this71 assuming that the station of woman in the ,east was very low1 stated that by addressing his mother in a seemingly harsh manner1 ,jesus infringed no rule of propriety4 ,having already stated at considerable length the ,oriental view of woman1 ,i deem it necessary here simply to say that the foregoing interpretation rests on a misconception of the facts4 ,in trying to throw some light on this passage ,i will say that1 notwithstanding its seeming harshness in the ,english translation1 ,i find no real reason to believe that in uttering it ,jesus indicated that he was angry1 or that he meant to be disrespectful to his mother4 ,this somewhat impersonal form of address to a woman is very common in the ,east4 ,it might be so spoken as to mean disrespect1 but as a rule1 and #cdb according to the ,oriental manner of speech1 it is dignified and in good taste4 ,at present the term hrmat is more extensively used in such cases in ,syria4 ,among the nobility and the educated minority of the people the word sitt 7lady7 is employed in addressing a woman4 ,however1 this impersonal form of address is employed by a man when speaking to a woman who is a stranger to him4 ,the correct form is1 ,o woman1 the same which ,jesus used in saying to the woman of ,canaan1 in the fifteenth chapter of ,matthew1 the twenty-eighth verse1 ,o woman1 great is thy faith3 be it unto thee even as thou wilt4 ,in the same manner the ,master assured the woman who had a spirit of infirmity1#a ,woman1#b thou art loosed from thine infirmity4 ,a superb example of this ,oriental usage is found in the fourth chapter of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel1 the twenty-first verse1 in ,jesus' conversation with the ,samaritan woman4 ,with solemn dignity he says to her3 ,woman1 #cdc believe me1 the hour cometh1 when ye shall neither in this mountain1 nor yet at ,jerusalem1 worship the ,father4444 ,but the hour cometh1 and now is1 when the true worshippers shall worship the ,father in spirit and in truth4 ,from the foregoing examples it may be easily seen that the form of ,jesus' address to his mother could not be considered disrespectful4 ,therefore the difficulty which the text offers springs from the fact that it represents ,jesus as speaking to his own mother as he would speak to a woman who was a stranger to him4 ,why did he do that8 ,the answer to this question depends partially on thorough knowledge of ,oriental thought and largely on acquaintance with the theology of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel4 ,as every ,bible scholar knows1 the purpose of this ,gospel is to present ,jesus to the world as the incarnation of the ,logos--the ,word4 ,here the ,master is spoken of1 not as the prophet of ,galilee1 but as the ,one who came down from heaven4 ,therefore the ,son of ,god was by virtue of this supernatural character above all #cdd earthly connections4 ,his mother was only human1 only finite4 ,on the occasion of his addressing her as a stranger she is represented as interfering with him as he was about to work a miracle4 ,such a thing1 according to ,st4 ,john's ,gospel1 was beyond her understanding4 ,consequently as a divine being speaking to a human being1 ,jesus said to his earthly mother1 ,woman1 what is mine and what is thine8 ,this is the original form4 ,the ,english translation1 ,woman1 what have ,i to do with thee1 is good1 although the more refined attitude of the ,west toward woman makes the expression seem rather harsh4 ,stated in simplest terms the ,oriental understanding of these words is1 ,leave me alone4 ,in ,jesus' case the further implication of the passage is that1 as ,mary's vision of spiritual things was not ,jesus' vision1 even though he was her son in the flesh1 she was not competent to exercise authority over him1 seeing that he was a divine being4 ,in a higher sense she was a stranger to him4 ,with real consistency the writer of the ,fourth #cde ,gospel clings to this view of ,jesus' divinity to the end4 ,in the nineteenth chapter we find the ,master speaking from the cross4 ,he speaks1 not as a human sufferer1 but as a triumphant heavenly being4 ,he addresses his mother in the same manner as he did at the marriage feast in ,cana of ,galilee--,woman4 ,in the twenty-fifth verse it is said3 ,now there stood by the ,cross of ,jesus his mother1 and his mother's sister1 ,mary the wife of ,cleophas1 and ,mary ,magdalene4 ,when ,jesus therefore saw his mother1 and the disciple standing by1 whom he loved1 he saith unto his mother1 ,woman1 behold thy son6 ,in this lofty yet tender manner the ,master committed his loving mother to the care of his beloved disciple4 ,the excellent qualities of a man are credited by ,orientals largely to haleeb el-omm 7the mother's milk7 and the mysterious influences of the prenatal period4 ,aside from its nutritive qualities1 el-redha' 7suck7 is supposed to possess certain mystic influences which tend to fashion the possibilities of character4 ,whenever a man1 #cdf especially a youth1 speaks words of wisdom1 his admiring hearer is likely to exclaim1 ,precious was the milk that nourished thee6 ,among the choice blessings which ,jacob asked for ,joseph the patriarch did not forget to include the blessings of the breasts1 and of the womb4#c ,nothing can be loftier to an ,oriental than the passage in the eleventh chapter of ,st4 ,luke's gospel1 the twenty-seventh verse4 ,jesus is represented in the preceding verses as disputing triumphantly with his theological adversaries4 ,his trenchant periods1 ,every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation4444 ,he that is not with me is against me1 and his simple yet profound reasoning that a human heart which is not filled with the spirit of ,god is bound to become the abode of evil spirits1 deeply stir his hearers4 ,so the text tells us1 ,a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice and said unto him1 ,blessed is the womb that bare thee1 and the breasts which thou hast sucked6 #cdg ,the most solemn occasion on which ,i heard this expression used in my native land was that when the great ,patriarch of ,antioch visited our town in ,mount ,lebanon4 ,upon his arrival at the priest's house1 where he was entertained1 the waiting multitude1 including the governor of the district1 stood with bowed heads to receive the prelate's benediction4 ,i shall never forget that scene4 ,standing in the door1 our revered and beloved patriarch seemed to us to be a visitor from the celestial sphere1 full of truth and grace4 ,as he lifted his right arm and imparted his blessing to the silent assemblage1 a woman of our church1 a mother1 who was almost overcome with emotion1 advanced toward the spiritual ruler1 and with her face and open palms turned toward heaven1 exclaimed1 in the vernacular ,arabic1 ,blessed be the inwards that bore you1 and the breasts you sucked6 ,whereupon the distinguished visitor bestowed a special blessing upon the humble suppliant1 to the great satisfaction of the profoundly affected multitude4 #a ,luke xiii3 #ab4 #b ,the ,english translation changes the form1 ,o woman to ,woman arbitrarily4 #c ,gen4 xlix3 #be4 #cdh ,,chapter ,,iv ,a ,,gracious ,,woman ,to the ,east woman is known only as wife and mother1 and1 of course1 as the home-maker4 ,the statement1 ,woman's place is in the home1 is never a matter of dispute in that part of the world4 ,in the home are to be found both woman's rights and woman's duties4 ,education1 literary pursuits1 club life1 and civic endeavors are no vital interests to the ,eastern woman1 nor to her husband to any appreciable extent4 ,marriage is a religious union4 ,the highest and most sacred duty of the husband and wife is to beget many children1 bring them up in the fear of the ,lord1 and be such good example to them1 as to enable them to live a pious life1 and to transmit their good heritage to the unborn generations4 ,marriage of inclination1 preceded by a period of courtship as in the ,west1 is very rare in the ,east4 ,the reason of this has #cdi been hinted in the preceding chapters4 ,lack of education and social and political stability necessitates the curtailing of woman's social privileges1 for her own safety4 ,these limitations are especially narrow in the case of maidens1 or virgins2 that is1 unmarried young women4 ,they are not supposed to participate in social functions as their mothers do1 nor to form friendships with young men1 even among their near relatives4 ,the contracting of a marriage is not so much an individual as it is a clannish affair4 ,the young people may1 or may not be acquainted with one another4 ,among ,christians1 the young man may frequent the home of his future wife's parents1 and even converse with her now and then1 but only in the presence of other members of the family4 ,going with a young lady is unknown to the ,east1 and is a feature of ,western life which ,orientals generally condemn4 ,the marriage is agreed upon by the families or clans of the contracting parties1 because the family or clan is involved in the conduct and affected by the #cej reputation of each one of its members4 ,the shame of a woman is a burden to all her kindred4 ,interclannish marriages form alliances and impose defensive and offensive obligations4 ,whenever a woman of one clan1 who is married into another1 is cruelly treated by her husband1 her own clansmen are supposed to rise and defend her1 else they become a byword in the community4 ,this difference of procedure between the ,east and the ,west in contracting a marriage does not seem to result in a decidedly marked difference in domestic happiness4 ,in both the ,east and the ,west1 the perfectly happy and the perfectly unhappy marriages are rare4 ,in both hemispheres the large majority of married people soon learn that domestic happiness depends in no small measure on adherence to the well-known rule3 ,in essentials unity2 in non-essentials liberty2 in all things charity4 ,as ,i have already stated1 the ,oriental does not know the art of living as the ,occidental does1 yet the ,easterner enjoys as much home happiness #cea as those ,occidentals who are on the same level of culture with him4 ,women in the ,east are classified1 not with reference to education and social interests or the lack of them1 but with reference to virtue and its opposite4 ,a happy husband says1 ,i lift my head high arfa' rasy because of my wife4 ,her siett reputation is like musk in fragrance4 ,she is taj rasy a crown to my head4 ,so also speaks the writer of the ,book of ,proverbs1 in the twelfth chapter1 and the fourth verse3 ,a virtuous woman is a crown to her husband3 but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones4 ,in both the ,east and the ,west the opinion is accepted that as a jewel of gold in a swine's snout1 so is a fair woman which is without discretion4#a ,the ,orient and the ,occident diverge considerably in their description of feminine charms in poetry and literature4 ,here ,i find the ,orientals to be very inconsistent4 ,their strong aversion to the free mention of women in #ceb conversation and to her sharing of social privileges equally with the man1 contrasts very sharply with their license in describing her charms in their poetry4 ,a most perfect specimen of this poetry in the ,bible is ,solomon's ,song4 ,its ,oriental freedom in describing the beloved spouse1 renders it practically unfit for public use4 ,its poetical charms are exquisite1 and its passion is pure1 but judged by ,western standards1 the faithfulness of its realism appears licentious4 ,it is exhilarating to read the poet's lines in which he calls his fair one to go with him into the fields and vineyards4 ,rise up1 my love1 my fair one1 and come away4 ,for1 lo1 the winter is past1 ,the rain is over and gone2 ,the flowers appear on the earth2 ,the time of the singing of birds is come1 ,and the voice of the turtle dove is heard in our land2 ,the fig tree ripeneth her green figs1 ,and the vines are in blossom1 ,they give forth their fragrance4 ,arise1 my love1 my fair one1 and come away4 ,o my dove1 that art in the clefts of the rock1 ,in the covert of the steep place1 ,let me see thy countenance1 #cec ,let me hear thy voice2 ,for sweet is thy voice1 and thy countenance is comely4#b ,in the opening verses of the fourth chapter the poet's vision of his love is also beautiful4 ,behold1 thou art fair1 my love2 behold1 thou art fair2 ,thine eyes are as doves behind thy veil3 ,thy hair is as a flock of goats1 ,that lie along the side of mount ,gilead4 ,thy teeth are like a flock of ewes that are newly shorn ,which are come up from the washing2 444 ,thy lips are like a thread of scarlet1 ,and thy mouth is comely4 ,all this is beautiful and perfectly acceptable to both the ,east and the ,west4 ,not so the opening lines of the seventh chapter4 ,the ,revised ,version modifies the original text4 ,king ,james's ,version gives the lines just as ,oriental poetry past and present would render them4 ,the rendering of the second verse by the ,revised ,version1 ,thy body is like a round goblet1 and1 ,thy waist is like an heap of wheat1 renders the words meaningless4 ,however1 the modesty of the revisers is to be commended4 #ced ,arabic poetry is full of such passages1 which abound also in ,syrian vernacular songs1 which are sung with perfect propriety among all classes4 ,in discussing such a subject as this one can hardly resist the temptation to judge4 ,to me the more chaste way of the ,west in poetizing feminine charms is far superior to the altogether too free realism of the ,east1 which ,i do not feel at all inclined to defend4 ,yet ,i would not be loyal to good conscience if ,i did not offer an explanation in behalf of the land of my birth4 ,ever since ,i began to read ,arabic poetry1 for which ,i developed great fondness1 to the present day1 ,i do not remember that its descriptions of feminine loveliness ever really suggested to me licentious thoughts4 ,the general effect of such delineations upon me was of the same sort as that which the sketching of love scenes by a great novelist produces4 ,its charms were those of the poetic art1 and not those of the seductive feelings of sordid passion4 ,to us 'aroos esshi'ar 7the bride1 or spouse of the poet7 is purely an imaginary creature4 ,it is #cee the poet's spirit of inspiration objectified in a female form4 ,he does not describe a woman1 but an angelic creature whose body and soul are both pure4 ,only the very commonplace versifier gets demoralized and infects his reader with the same feeling4 ,the true poet soars far above the things that perish1 and is perfectly safe to follow4 ,his infatuation is known as el howa el'adhry 7pure1 or aspirational love74 ,here1 then1 without the slightest attempt to excuse his phraseology1 ,i find at least a partial justification for the ,eastern poet1 and for the writer of ,solomon's ,song4 ,the simple1 eloquent1 and fully inclusive description of the virtuous woman1 in the thirty-first chapter of the ,book of ,proverbs1 is rather a composite than an individual picture4 ,it expresses the ,syrian's noblest idea of the true wife and the real home-maker3-- ,who can find a virtuous woman8 for her price is far above rubies4 ,the heart of her husband doth safely trust in her1 so that he shall have no need for spoil4 #cef ,she will do him good and not evil all the days of her life4 ,she seeketh wool1 and flax1 and worketh willingly with her hands4 ,she is like the merchant's ships2 she bringeth her food from afar4 ,she riseth also while it is yet night1 and giveth meat to her household1 and a portion to her maidens4 ,she considereth a field1 and buyeth it3 with the fruits of her hands she planteth a vineyard4 ,she girdeth her loins with strength1 and strengtheneth her arms4 ,she perceiveth that her merchandise is good3 her candle goeth not out by night4 ,she layeth her hands to the spindle1 and her hands hold the distaff4 ,she stretcheth out her hands to the poor2 yea1 she reacheth forth her hands to the needy4 ,she is not afraid of the snow for her household3 for all her household are clothed with scarlet4 ,she maketh herself coverings of tapestry2 her clothing is silk and purple4 ,her husband is known in the gates1 when he sitteth among the elders of the land4 ,she maketh fine linen1 and selleth it2 and delivereth girdles unto the merchant4 ,strength and honor are her clothing2 and she shall rejoice in time to come4 #ceg ,she openeth her mouth with wisdom2 and in her tongue is the law of kindness4 ,she looketh well to the ways of her household1 and eateth not the bread of idleness4 ,her children arise up1 and call her blessed2 her husband also1 and he praiseth her4 ,many daughters have done virtuously1 but thou excellest them all4 ,favour is deceitful1 and beauty is vain3 but a woman that feareth the ,lord1 she shall be praised4 ,give her of the fruit of her hands2 and let her own works praise her in the gates4 ,here we have the real ,oriental view of woman1 and a glorification of virtue1 loyalty1 industry1 wisdom1 kindness1 and charity1 unsurpassed in its beauty and simplicity4 ,i have said that this remarkable picture is rather composite than individual4 ,yet the true1 diligent1 and virtuous ,syrian wife and mother comes near being the ideal woman of the ancient ,scriptural writer4 ,his question1 ,who can find a virtuous woman8 does not mean that such a woman cannot be found2 nor his saying1 ,for her price is far above rubies mean that women are bought and sold in the market4 ,the #ceh sense of the writer can be adequately expressed by saying1 ,happy is he who hath a virtuous woman1 for her worth is far above all earthly riches4 ,but for the existence of women approaching his ideal1 this writer could not have given the world his picture of the virtuous woman4 ,i feel that no detailed commentary on these verses is needed4 ,the virtues here enumerated are universally cherished4 ,i will1 however1 call attention to the ,oriental features of this great passage4 ,in saying that the heart of her husband doth safely trust in her1 the writer shows that the good wife is by no means a despised creature in the ,syrian home4 ,she is loved and trusted as her husband's life-partner1 and exerts no inconsiderable influence upon him4 ,the value of such a wife's counsel in the estimation of her husband and friends is also indicated in the saying1 ,she openeth her mouth with wisdom2 and in her tongue is the law of kindness4 ,she seeketh wool1 and flax1 and worketh willingly with her hands1 or1 as the ,arabic version #cei has it1 with willing hands4 ,the flax is now rarely found in ,syria4 ,wool and silk cocoons are spun into thread by means of the spindle1 woven on hand looms1 and made into garments by the women1 especially in the rural districts4 ,this verse should be joined to verse nineteen1 which says1 ,she layeth her hands to the spindle1 and her hands hold the distaff4 ,the ,revised ,version says1 ,she layeth her hands to the distaff1 and her hands hold the spindle4 ,in explaining this passage some commentators speak of the spinning wheel1 and of the distaff1 as the dictionary defines it3 ,a rotating vertical staff that holds the bunch of flax or wool in hand-spinning4 ,but this is not the spindle which is intended in the passage before us4 ,the ,syrian spindle 7meghzel7 which a woman may carry wherever she goes1 is a small instrument4 ,it consists of a smooth wooden pin1 or stem1 about the size and shape of a long wooden pen holder4 ,this is inserted at its thick end into a hole of a hemispherical top or whorl1 which is the exact shape of the crown of a small #cfj mushroom4 ,it is this top which the ,english translation calls distaff4 ,a small brass hook fastened to the end of the stem1 which protrudes slightly above the whorl1 completes the spindle4 ,in spinning a quantity of wool is wound on a small wooden or wire frame into which the woman inserts her left hand1 the frame passing over the fingers and held inside the palm next to the thumb1 thus leaving the thumb and all the fingers free4 ,the spinner fastens the hook of the spindle to the bunch of wool and twirls the spindle swiftly at its lower end1 between the thumb and the middle finger of the right hand1 and then draws the thread deftly with the fingers of both hands4 ,when the twisted thread is about the length of an arm1 the spinner unhooks it without breaking it off1 winds it on the stem of the spindle1 just below the whorl1 then fastens it again to the hook close to the raw material4 ,the operation is thus continued until the bunch of wool is converted into a spindleful of thread4 ,the spindle as it is mentioned in the passage #cfa under consideration1 and in this peculiarly constructed language1 symbolizes diligence and industry4 ,she layeth her hands to the spindle1 and her hands hold the distaff is equivalent to saying ,she is never idle1 or as the ,syrians say1 ,her spindle is never out of her hands4 ,as a general rule spinning in ,syria is done by the older women4 ,it is often used as an occasion for diligent spinners to get together4 ,i recall very clearly the palmy days of my grandmother as a spinner1 and some of the delightful spinning sociables she enjoyed with her peers4 ,it was a delight to me to watch those good women lay their hands to the spindle4 ,it is always delightful to watch an expert at his work4 ,they worked with the ease and inerrancy of instinct4 ,they spun while walking1 talking1 eating 7informally7 or even disputing4 ,the only thing about the useful industry which ,i hated heartily as a boy was that when ,i came close to the feminine spinners the flying hairs from their whirling spindles fell on me1 and made my flesh creep4 #cfb ,again the virtuous woman ,considereth a field1 and buyeth it3 with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard4 ,here the language of the ,scriptural writer is figurative4 ,it refers to a good wife's thrift4 ,she saves the coins she earns and treasures them in the well-known kees 7money bag7 in a corner of the clothes chest1 where heirlooms and other precious objects are stored4 ,in time of need she surprises her husband by the substantial sum of money she places in his hands1 which enables him to buy a field or plant a vineyard4 ,she is not afraid of the snow for her household2 for all her household are clothed in scarlet4 ,the marginal note greatly improves the translation by saying double garments instead of scarlet4 ,the ,arabic version says hillel--that is1 full1 or substantial1 garments4 ,the snow is always dreaded by the common people of ,syria4 ,with it come no sleighbells and no skating4 ,it is a time of stress 7dhieq74 ,the snow blocks the roads and cuts a man off from his neighbor4 ,at such a time1 because #cfc of lack of fuel and adequate clothing1 many of the people suffer4 ,so the writer of ,proverbs praises the virtuous woman very highly when he says1 ,she is not afraid of the snow for her household1 because by her foresight and unremitting care she has amply provided for their comfort4 ,her husband is known in the gates1 when he sitteth among the elders of the land4 ,the ,syrian husband of the good old type does not buy his wearing apparel ready-made at the clothier's4 ,his garments are made by his wife4 ,when he sits with the elders of the community in the market place or at the gate of the town where those dignitaries converse on matters of public interest1 and speak parables and tell stories1 his neat appearance bespeaks the diligence and loving care of his wife4 ,verily his wife is a costly jewel1 is the likely remark of such a fortunate man's admirers4 ,how true also to the nobler instincts of the ,east are these words in this poetical description of the virtuous woman4 ,her children arise up1 and call #cfd her blessed2 her husband also1 and he praiseth her4 ,the closing words of this ,oriental writer who lived long before the advent of modern culture1 reveal him as one of woman's truest friends and wisest counselors4 ,favour is deceitful1 and beauty is vain3 but a woman that feareth the ,lord1 she shall be praised4 ,give her of the fruits of her hands2 and let her own works praise her in the gates4 ,this is the true ,order of ,merit4 #a ,prov4 xi3 #bb4 #b ,revised ,version2 ii3 #aj-ad4 #cfg ,,part ,,vi ,,here ,,and ,,there ,,in ,,the ,,bible ,,here ,,and ,,there ,,in ,,the ,,bible ,during the time when the earlier chapters of this book were being published in the ,atlantic ,monthly1 requests came to the author from readers of those chapters for his comments on certain ,scriptural passages which did not appear in them4 ,some of the passages suggested by those interested readers1 ,i have considered in other parts of this publication4 ,the other passages thus suggested1 and others which presented themselves to the author during the progress of this work1 but which for some reason or other he could not include in the preceding chapters1 will now be considered1 without the attempt to make of this portion of the book a coherent whole4 ,and ,abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house1 that ruled over all that he had1 ,put1 ,i pray thee1 thy hand under my thigh3 and ,i will make thee swear by the ,lord1 the ,god of #cfh heaven1 and the ,god of the earth1 that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the ,canaanites1 among whom ,i dwell3 but thou shalt go unto my country1 and to my kindred1 and take a wife unto my son ,isaac4#a ,in the ,east the general custom is that the speaking concerning a damsel in behalf of a young man is entrusted to the most distinguished of his male relatives4 ,sometimes women are included in the mission4 ,they approach the young woman's father and clansmen in a very dignified and formal manner1 and1 if possible1 secure the promise for their son4 ,it is only in rare instances that this significant undertaking is entrusted to one who is an alien to the groom's family 7ghareeb7 and who acts as an ambassador4 ,abraham was compelled to assign this duty to his trusted servant1 because the patriarch had no relatives in ,canaan4 ,his demand from his servant to put his hand under his master's thigh and #cfi swear by the ,god of heaven and earth that he would do as he was asked is characteristically ,oriental4 ,the custom of calling upon ,god to witness a promise or a covenant between two individuals or clans is still extant in ,syria4 ,the placing of the hand under the thigh1 however1 is no longer done1 but the habit of placing the hand under the girdle 7zinnar7 for the same purpose is generally practiced4 ,however1 it is the one who makes the request who puts his hand under the girdle of the one from whom the favor is asked4 ,eedy tahit zinnarek 7my hand is under your girdle7 means ,i come to you with the fullest confidence to do such and such a thing for me4 ,in the eastern parts of ,syria this practice is highly valued4 ,putting one's hand under another person's girdle is almost the equivalent of entering under his roof for protection from a pursuing enemy4 ,if at all possible1 the favor must be granted4 ,i have no doubt that this custom is a survival in a different form of that of placing the hand under the thigh in making a solemn promise4 #cgj ,abraham's experience upon the death of his wife with the children of ,heth and with ,ephron son of ,zohar1 presents an interesting picture of ,oriental courtesy4 ,in the twenty-third chapter of ,genesis1 beginning with the third verse1 the record reads1 ,and ,abraham stood up from before his dead1 and spake unto the sons of ,heth1 saying1 ,i am a stranger and a sojourner with you3 give me a possession of a burying-place with you1 that ,i may bury my dead out of my sight4 ,the burying-places in the ,east are clannish or church possessions4 ,the ,orientals1 now as in ancient times1 dread a lonely grave4 ,it is always expected that a worthy stranger be offered a burying-place for his dead in a sepulcher of the community where he happens to be1 as that he should be offered the hospitality of a home4 ,so we read1 ,and the children of ,heth answered ,abraham1 saying unto him1 ,hear us1 my lord3 thou art a mighty prince among us3 in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead2 none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre4 #cga ,that was noble of the children of ,heth2 they upheld the noblest ,oriental tradition by their generous act4 ,so also did ,joseph of ,arimathea when he took ,jesus' body1 wrapped it in a clean linen cloth1 and laid it in his own new tomb1 which he had hewn out in the rock4#b ,abraham1 however1 who expected to be a permanent dweller in ,canaan1 wished to have a burying-place of his own4 ,so the aged patriarch said again to the ,hittites 7verse #h71 ,if it be your mind that ,i should bury my dead out of my sight1 hear me1 and entreat for me to ,ephron the son of ,zohar1 that he may give me the cave of ,machpelah1 which he hath1 which is in the end of his field4 ,but ,ephron would not be outdone in courtesy by his kinsman2 at least he would not be accused of having omitted the nice formalities of such an occasion4 ,nay1 my lord1 he said to ,abraham 7verse #aa71 hear me3 the field give ,i thee1 and the cave that is therein1 ,i give it thee2 in the presence of the sons of my people give ,i it thee3 bury thy dead4 #cgb ,to me this sounds very natural4 ,ephron meant simply to be courteous4 ,it is an ,oriental custom to avoid a business transaction whenever a question of hospitality is involved1 although it is not expected that the gift would be received as offered4 ,the language on such occasions is purely complimentary4 ,an ,oriental offers to give you anything you may admire of his personal possessions1 but as a rule you are not expected to accept the offer4 ,ephron did not really mean that he would give his field to ,abraham without money and without price1 but he would have ,abraham know that he was ready to befriend him in his sorrow1 and not to deal with him simply as a customer4 ,the patriarch acknowledged the kindness by bowing himself down before the ,hittites1 but would not accept the field as a gift4 ,thereupon ,ephron quoted the price of the field to the father of ,israel in a truly characteristic ,syrian fashion1 by saying 7verse #ae71 ,my lord1 hearken unto me3 a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver1 what is that betwixt me and thee8 #cgc bury therefore thy dead4 ,the gentle hint accomplished its purpose1 and ,abraham weighed to ,ephron the silver which he had named in the audience of the children of ,heth1 four hundred shekels of silver1 current money with the merchant4 ,in speaking of the haste in which the ,israelites were compelled to leave ,egypt1 the writer of the ,book of ,exodus says1#c ,and the people took their dough before it was leavened1 their kneading-troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders4 ,in the thirty-first verse it is said that ,pharaoh called for ,moses and ,aaron by night1 and said1 ,rise up1 and get you forth from among my people4 ,as a rule the ,syrian housewife kneads the dough in the evening in order that it may leaven during the night and be ready for baking early the next morning4 ,the saying1 ,and the people took their dough before it was leavened1 is meant to show that they departed before the early #cgd morning hours4 ,apparently the ,israelites had wooden kneading-troughs such as at present the ,arabs in the interior of ,syria still use4 ,the ,syrians use earthen basins4#d ,what is called kneading-trough in the ,bible resembles a large chopping-bowl1 but is heavier and not so perfectly round as the chopping-bowl which is commonly used in the ,american home4 ,in this basin the bread is also kept after it is baked4 ,in the thirty-ninth verse it is said1 ,and they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of ,egypt1 for it was not leavened2 because they were thrust out of ,egypt1 and could not tarry1 neither had they prepared for themselves any victual4 ,the cakes are known to the ,east as melleh2 this is the word the ,arabic ,bible uses4 ,the melleh is a round cake or loaf about fifteen inches in diameter and about three inches thick4 ,it is baked1 unleavened1 on the redhef2 that is1 hot pebbles4 ,the fire is built over an especially prepared bed of small stones2 when these are #cge thoroughly heated1 the melleh is placed upon them and covered with the live coals until it is baked4 ,the shepherds in the mountains of ,syria bake the melleh very often and think there is no bread like it in delicious flavor and sustaining quality4 ,it was such a cake which ,elijah fed upon on his way to ,horeb the mount of ,god4 ,in the nineteenth chapter of the ,first ,book of ,kings1 the fourth verse1 we are told that ,elijah sat down under a juniper tree3 and he requested for himself that he might die2 and said1 ,it is enough2 now1 ,o ,lord1 take away my life2 for ,i am not better than my fathers4 ,it is of no small significance that the legend states that the ,lord answered ,elijah's prayer in terms of food4 ,the prophet was both tired and hungry1 so when he lay and slept under a juniper tree1 behold1 then an angel touched him1 and said unto him1 ,arise and eat4 ,and he looked1 and1 behold1 there was a cake baken on the coals1 and a cruse of water at his head4 ,we have no record that ,elijah after he had eaten #cgf of the redhef cake1 which was provided1 no doubt1 by the shepherds in that region for the nasik 7hermit71 ever longed for death4 ,in the sixth chapter of the ,book of ,judges1 the eleventh verse1 begins the story of ,gideon1 the mighty man of valour1 who delivered ,israel out of the hands of the ,midianites4 ,and there came an angel of the ,lord1 and sat under an oak which was in ,ophrah1 that pertained unto ,joash the ,abiezrite3 and his son ,gideon threshed wheat by the wine-press1 to hide it from the ,midianites4 ,it is a prevailing belief in the ,east that spirits and angelic visitors appear especially under trees and by streams of water4 ,huge oaks are often found in burying-grounds and in front of houses of worship4 ,rag trees also may be seen in many localities in ,syria4 ,a rag tree 7shajeret-omm-shrateet7 is a supposedly sacred or possessed tree1 generally an oak1 on whose branches the people hang shreds of the garments of afflicted dear ones for the #cgg purpose of securing healing power for them4 ,when the angel visited him1 ,gideon1 we are told1 was threshing wheat by the wine-press4 ,the more correct rendering of the ,revised ,version and of the ,arabic is1 ,gideon was beating out wheat in the wine-press4 ,as ,i have already stated1#e the grapes are squeezed by being trodden in a large stone-flagged enclosure1 which is about the size of an ordinary room4 ,as the harvest time comes early in the summer1 long before the wine-making season1 ,gideon could use the clean floor of this enclosure to beat out wheat1 with a fair chance of escaping being discovered by his oppressors1 the ,midianites4 ,he was not threshing4 ,he was beating with a club the sheaves he had smuggled1 before threshing time came when the ,midianites exacted their heavy toll from oppressed ,israel4 ,threshing is done with the threshing-board 7nourej71 which is called in the ,bible the threshing instrument4 ,the nourej resembles a stone-drag4 ,it consists of two heavy pine planks joined #cgh together1 and is about three feet wide1 and six feet long4 ,on its under side are cut rows of square holes into which sharp stones are driven4 ,it is these sharp stones which ,isaiah1 refers to when he says1 ,behold1 ,i will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth2 thou shalt thresh the mountains1 and beat them small1 and shalt make the hills as chaff4#f ,the sheaves are scattered on the threshing-floor about a foot deep2 the thresher attaches the threshing-board to the yoke and sits on it1 with his goad in his hand4 ,as the oxen which tread the corn drag the heavy board round and round1 the sharp stones cut the sheaves4 ,in three days the threshing is ready to be sifted4 ,the finely cut sheaves are thrown up into a heap and tossed up in the air with large wooden pitchforks4 ,the breeze blows the chaff and straw away1 leaving the heap of the golden grain in the center of the threshing-floor to gladden the eyes of the grateful tiller of the soil4 ,to this purging of the threshing-floor--that #cgi is1 the freeing of the wheat from the chaff and straw--,luke alludes in the third chapter1 the seventeenth verse1 where he says1 referring to the ,christ1 ,whose fan is in his hand1 and he will thoroughly purge his floor1 and will gather the wheat into his garner2 but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable4 ,the reference to the burning of the chaff is meant to show its comparative worthlessness4 ,i am not aware that the ,syrian farmer always takes the trouble to burn the chaff1 which is not easy to gather after the wind has carried it away from the threshing-floor and scattered it over acres of ground4 ,the coarser part of it1 which falls near the floor1 is gathered and saved to be used in making the clay mortar with which the houses are plastered1 and also sun-dried brick4 ,we always went to the threshing-floor and secured a few bagfuls of chaff which we used in the annual plastering of the floor of our house4 ,among the chief joys of my boyhood days were those hours when ,i was permitted to sit #chj on the threshing-board and goad the oxen which carried me round and round over the glistening1 fragrant sheaves4 ,i often bribed the owner to grant me the precious privilege2 and even now ,i should in all probability prefer threshing after this manner to an automobile ride4 ,in the seventh chapter of the ,book of ,judges we have a description of the simple process by which ,gideon's army1 with which he attacked the ,midianites1 was selected4 ,the very honest record states that out of thirty-two thousand men whom ,gideon had first mobilized only three hundred stood the final test4 ,that test was very simple4 ,in the fifth verse it is said1 ,so he brought down the people unto the water3 and the ,lord said unto ,gideon1 ,every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue1 as a dog lappeth1 him shalt thou set by himself2 likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink4 ,and the number of them that lapped1 putting their hand to their mouth1 were three #cha hundred men3 but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water4 ,the three hundred constituted ,gideon's army4 ,bowing down upon the knees while drinking from a stream or a bubbling spring 7fowwar7 is the prevailing custom in ,syria4 ,this kind of drinking is called ghebb2 that is1 the sucking in of the water with the lips4 ,but to strong and wary men this is disdainful4 ,such a prostration betokens lassitude2 besides it is not always safe for one to be so recklessly off his guard while traveling1 and to render himself an easy prey to lurking robbers4 ,therefore the men of strength and valor 7shijaan7 upon approaching the water assume a squatting position1 lift the water with the hand to the mouth and lap it quickly with the tongue4 ,this manner of drinking indicates strength1 nimbleness1 and alertness4 ,one of the most reprehensible ,syrian habits is the mocking of those afflicted with diseases1 or any sort of physical defects4 ,i have no #chb doubt that the afflicted of ,palestine flocked to ,jesus to be healed by him as much for the purpose of escaping the shame of the affliction as of securing bodily comfort4 ,there comes the one-eyed man 'awar2 there goes the limping man afkah2 the half dumb maybe one who stutters is trying to discourse2 the hunch-back is trying to class himself with real men2 the diseased head akkra' is approaching1 give way4 ,these and other stigmatizations are very extensively current in the ,east4 ,in the story of ,elisha#g it is said1 ,and he went up from thence unto ,bethel3 and as he was going up by the way1 there came forth little children young lads1 ,revised ,version out of the city1 and mocked him1 and said unto him1 ,go up1 thou bald head2 go up1 thou bald head4 ,and he turned back1 and looked on them1 and cursed them in the name of the ,lord4 ,and there came forth two she bears out of the wood1 and tare forty and two children of them4 ,what those children really said to ,elisha #chc was1 ,go up thou akkra'4 ,the akkra' is one who is afflicted with a disease of the scalp1 a malady not uncommon among the poor people of ,syria4 ,complete baldness of the head is spoken of also as qara'4 ,it was this perhaps which the ill-mannered children noticed in the itinerant prophet4 ,his cursing of the lads in the name of the ,lord was no less an ,eastern characteristic than their mocking of him4 ,as to the coming of the hungry bears out of the wood and devouring or tearing forty-two of those children1 all ,i can say is that such narratives1 which filled my childhood days1 are deemed by ,syrian parents to be the best means to teach the children not to be naughty4 ,in the opening verses of the fourth chapter of the ,second ,book of ,kings we have the record of ,elisha's kindness to a poor widow4 ,now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto ,elisha1 saying1 ,thy servant my husband is dead2 and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the ,lord3 and the #chd creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen4 ,and ,elisha said unto her1 ,what shall ,i do for thee8 tell me1 what hast thou in the house8 ,and she said1 ,thine handmaid hath not anything in the house1 save a pot of oil4 ,then he said1 ,go1 borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors1 even empty vessels2 borrow not a few4 ,and when thou art come in1 thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons1 and shalt pour out into all those vessels1 and thou shalt set aside that which is full4 ,so she went from him1 and shut the door upon her and upon her sons1 who brought the vessels to her2 and she poured out4 ,and it came to pass1 when the vessels were full1 that she said unto her son1 ,bring me yet a vessel4 ,and he said unto her1 ,there is not a vessel more4 ,and the oil stayed4 ,the belief in the miraculous increase of certain products1 especially oil and wheat1 is prevalent in ,syria4 ,in almost every community stories of such occurrences are told4 ,godly men and women1 largely of the past1 are said to have #che seen such wonders1 and to have spoken of them to many before their death4 ,such blessings are supposed to come especially on the blessed night of ,epiphany4#h ,in the locality where ,i was brought up1 the miracle of increase was said to happen in this wise3 ,in some holy hour the cover of the jar of oil is thrown off by some unseen power and the oil begins to flow out of the mouth of the jar4 ,the person who is fortunate enough to see such a sight must show neither fear nor surprise1 but in the spirit of deepest prayer he must bring empty vessels and receive into them the increase4 ,if he should fear or manifest surprise1 the blessed flow would immediately cease1 but if he receives the blessing in a spirit of gratitude and prayer the flow continues until all the vessels that can be brought are filled4 ,but only godly men and women can see such a sight4 ,among the noble traditions of our clan is the story of one godly man of the ,rihbany stock who witnessed the miracle of increase in his own storehouse4 ,the flow of #chf the blessing stopped1 however1 when his wife1 who went into the storehouse to see why he was there so long1 came in and threw up her hands in surprise at the strange occurrence4 ,from childhood ,i heard this enchanting story1 but ,i never felt deeply curious to investigate it until after ,i had gone to the ,american mission school in my native land4 ,then ,i sought the son of the godly man and begged him to tell me all that he knew about it4 ,he assured me of his firm conviction that the miracle did happen in their storehouse when he was too young to see such wonders1 and that his father and mother both saw it and spoke of it on occasions4 ,at the time ,i became interested in the study of the origins of such narratives1 both those good parents were dead4 ,but why allow shallow curiosity to weaken one's faith in the great spiritual principle which underlies all such beliefs8 ,attach all such pious tales to the ,oriental's foundation belief that all good comes from ,god1 and they become intelligible and acceptable4 ,his intellectual #chg explanations are faint attempts to grasp the great mystery of divine providence1 to explain the ways of the ,great ,giver4 ,if you do not attempt to make an infallible creed of these spiritual imaginings1 they will serve as well as any intellectual devices to urge upon the mind the truth that ultimately every good and every perfect gift cometh from above4 ,whether the resources were a few loaves and fishes1 or thousands of loaves and fishes1 it was ,god who fed the five thousand1 and it is he who feeds all the millions of his children through the annual miracle of increase in all the fields and vineyards of the world4 ,in his heart-stirring prayer1 which begins with1 ,out of the depths have ,i cried unto thee1 ,o ,lord1 the writer of the one hundred and thirtieth ,psalm says1 ,my soul waiteth for the ,lord more than they that watch for the morning3 ,i say more than they that watch for the morning4 ,the ,revised ,version's rendering1 ,more than watchmen wait for the #chh morning1 limits the sense of the text1 and1 consequently1 fails to express fully the phase of ,eastern thought to which the ,psalmist alludes4 ,i have no doubt that the ancient poet meant that his longing for the manifestation of ,god was as keen as the longing of el-mtesehhid for the dawn4 ,this term comes from shad 7sleeplessness74 ,eastern poetry is full of references to the shad1 either from fear or other intense feelings like sorrow or love4 ,in a land of tribal feuds and where wild beasts abound1 the night is full of terror4 ,el-mtesehhid wrestles with the night1 keenly observes the stars which mark the night watches1 and restlessly watches for the advent of the day to dispell his haunting fears4 ,the ,arabian poet exclaims1 ,oh1 the night's curtains which are like the waves of the sea are fallen upon me1 to afflict me with every type of anxiety4 ,it seems that the ,pleiades which marked the march of the night have been arrested in their course by being tied with hemp ropes to an adamant6 ,it is not the watchman only that is meant #chi here4 ,he might watch keenly for the morning in times of fear1 but the reference is to all those who watch for the morning in times of shad--a state which ,orientals readily understand4 ,the ,psalmist would have that confidence and cheer in the presence of the ,lord which come to the restless watcher of the night with the dawning of the day2 that inward calm and peace which only the presence of ,god in the soul can give4 ,thus saith the ,lord ,god1 ,behold1 ,i will lift up mine hand to the ,gentiles1 and set up my standard to the people3 and they shall bring thy sons in their arms1 and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders4#i ,the reference in these lines is to the custom of carrying the children in the ,east4 ,the habit of carrying the children on the shoulders is1 ,i believe1 unknown to the ,west1 but is universal in the ,east4 ,in early infancy the little ones are carried in the arms4 7,the ,revised ,version #cij prefers the word bosom47 ,as soon1 however1 as the child is old enough to sit up alone1 it is carried on the shoulder4 ,the mother lifts the child and places it astride her right shoulder1 and instinctively the little one clings to her head1 where there is no dainty hat to hinder4 ,the custom is so familiar to the mothers that often one sees a mother spinning or knitting with the child astride her shoulder4 ,as is well known1 the message in the lofty strains of the later ,isaiah is the glad tidings of the restoration of scattered and oppressed ,israel4 ,it is a prophecy born of ,israel's ever-lasting hope that ,god will not cast off his own forever4 ,so the prophet assures ,israel in the name of the ,lord that he will lead the alien peoples1 not only to let ,israel return to its own home1 but to carry the children of the chosen people in their arms and on their shoulders1 as do the servants of aristocratic parents4 ,the prophet's hope of the restoration of his own people appears in the succeeding verse clothed #cia in language which ,oriental aristocrats love to use4 ,it is the phraseology of earthly glory and a narrow vision of national destiny1 which the ,new ,testament liberates and enlarges4 ,says ,isaiah3 ,and kings shall be thy nursing fathers1 and their queens thy nursing mothers3 they shall bow down to thee with their faces toward the earth1 and lick up the dust of thy feet4 ,our world still has many grave faults1 but it has certainly progressed since the days of ,isaiah4 ,in the third chapter of ,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel1 the eleventh verse1 ,john the ,baptist1 in paying his tribute to the coming ,messiah1 says3 ,i indeed baptize you with water unto repentance3 but he that cometh after me is mightier than ,i1 whose shoes ,i am not worthy to bear3 he shall baptize you with the ,holy ,ghost1 and with fire4 ,the same thought is expressed in the somewhat different presentation in the third chapter and sixteenth verse of ,luke's ,gospel1 where it is said1 the latchet of whose shoes ,i am #cib not worthy to unloose4 ,i have already stated elsewhere that to the ,syrians the feet are ceremonially unclean2 therefore it is very improper for one to mention the feet or the shoes in conversation1 without first making ample apology by saying to his hearer1 ,ajell ,allah shanak 7may ,god elevate your dignity72 that is1 above what is about to be mentioned4 ,in the presence of an aristocrat1 however1 no apology is sufficient to atone for the mention of such an unclean object as the shoes4 ,therefore1 when one says to another1 in pleading for a favor1 ,i would carry your shoes1 or bow at your feet1 he sinks to the lowest depth of humility4 ,so when some of those who came to him to be baptized thought that ,john the ,baptist was the ,promised ,one of ,israel1 he humbled himself in ,oriental fashion by saying that he was not worthy to carry the shoes of the coming ,deliverer1 or even to touch the latchet with which those shoes were tied to the ankles4 ,in this last expression1 the sandals1 rather than the shoes1 are meant4 #cic ,the three evangelists1 ,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke1 speak of the woman who was healed from a long illness by touching the hem or border of ,jesus' garment4 ,luke's version is found in the eighth chapter1 and the forty-third verse1 and is as follows3 ,and a woman1 having an issue of blood twelve years1 which had spent all her living upon physicians1 neither could be healed of any1 came behind him1 and touched the border of his garment3 and immediately her issue of blood stanched4 ,and ,jesus said1 ,who touched me8 444 ,somebody hath touched me3 for ,i perceive that virtue is gone out of me4 ,and when the woman saw that she was not hid1 she came trembling1 and falling down before him1 she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him1 and how she was healed immediately4 ,and he said unto her1 ,daughter1 be of good comfort3 thy faith hath made thee whole2 go in peace4 ,the belief that holy persons and holy things impart divine power to those who trustfully and reverently touch them is not exclusively an #cid ,oriental possession4 ,the ,orientals1 however1 have always believed this doctrine4 ,the woman mentioned in the ,gospel followed a custom which no doubt antedated her own time by many centuries4 ,the practice is followed by ,orientals of all shades of religious opinion4 ,as a son and adherent of the ,greek ,orthodox ,church in my youth1 ,i always considered it a great privilege to touch the hem of the priest's garment as he passed through the congregation1 elevating the ,host4 ,to me the act was a means of spiritual reinforcement4 ,i never would pass the church building without pressing my lips to the door or to the cornerstone of the sanctuary4 ,virtue1 as ,i believed1 came out of those sacred objects into me4 ,the interpretation of the details of such records as the passage which is before us can be easily pressed too far4 ,such ,gospel pictures should be sought for the general impression they make upon the mind1 and not subjected to minute critical analysis as the reports of a scientific expedition4 ,jesus' reported saying1 for ,i perceive that virtue is #cie gone out of me1 refers perhaps to the belief that holy persons impart virtue or spiritual power to those who come in touch with them4 ,whatever really happened in ,palestine nineteen hundred years ago1 this belief is well founded4 ,whomsoever and whatsoever we love and reverence becomes to us a source of power4 ,many indifferent and merely curious persons touched ,jesus1 but nothing happened2 for the garment possesses no healing virtues4 ,but when an afflicted woman came to him with dearest hope and deepest prayer1 the mere touch of his person reinforced her strength and revived her spirits4 ,the ,master indicated plainly that the healing power was not in the garment when he said to the woman1 ,daughter1 be of good comfort3 thy faith hath made thee whole2 go in peace4 ,in the story of the crucifixion#aj we read3 ,and as they led him away1 they laid hold upon one ,simon1 a ,cyrenian1 coming out of the country1 and on him they laid the cross1 that #cif he might bear it after ,jesus4 ,and there followed him a great company of people1 and of women1 which also bewailed and lamented him4 ,but ,jesus1 turning unto them1 said1 ,daughters of ,jerusalem1 weep not for me1 but weep for yourselves1 and for your children4444 ,for if they do these things in a green tree1 what shall be done in the dry8 ,the saying with which the passage ends is current in ,oriental speech in various forms4 ,of one who is greedy and voracious it is said 7when the thing he eats is not very tempting71 ,if his tooth works so effectively in the bitter1 what would it do in the sweet8 ,and1 reversing the ,scriptural saying1 ,if the dry is so palatable to him1 how much more must the green be6 ,again1 ,if one is not good to those that are his kin1 what must he be to strangers8--and so forth4 ,jesus' saying to the women who followed him1 ,daughters of ,jerusalem1 weep not for me1 but weep for yourselves1 and your children1 facilitates the understanding of the closing sentence #cig of the passage4 ,he admonishes them not to lament the state of one who1 though condemned1 is utterly innocent1 but the state of those who are so hard of heart1 so devoid of human sympathy as to condemn one so innocent4 ,with amazement he exclaims1 ,for if they do these things in a green tree1 what shall be done in the dry8 ,if they deal so cruelly with a good and innocent person1 what must be their attitude toward a real culprit4 ,the mention in the ,gospel of the crowing of the cock recalls to my mind a very familiar ,oriental expression4 ,the shrill sound of the wakeful fowl always served us in the night as a striking clock4 ,we always believed that the cock crew three times in the night1 and thus marked the night watches4 ,the first crowing is at about nine o'clock1 the second at midnight1 and the third about three in the morning4 ,the common people of ,syria house the chickens in a small enclosure which is built1 generally1 immediately under the floor of the house4 ,it has one #cih small opening on the outside1 which is closed at night with a stone1 and another opening on the inside1 through which the housewife reaches for the eggs4 ,so the evening crow1 the midnight crow1 and the dawn crow can be very conveniently heard by members of the household4 ,and how often1 while enjoying a sociable evening with our friends at one of those humble but joyous homes1 we were startled by the crowing of the cock1 and said1 ,whew6 it is nissleil midnight4 ,the hospitable host would try to trick us into staying longer by assuring us that it was the evening and not the midnight crow4 ,now some enlightened critics assert that in fact the cock crows at any hour of the night4 ,well1 the critics are welcome to their enlightenment4 ,for us ,syrians of the unsophisticated type the cock crowed only three times1 just as ,i have stated1 and thus marked for us the four divisions of the night4 ,the ,new ,testament makes definite reference to the evening crow and the dawn #cii crow4 ,as a rule the cock crows three times 7separated by short intervals7 at the end of each watch of the night4 ,we are told that after the ,last ,supper1 the ,master and his disciples went out into the mount of ,olives1 where ,jesus said to them1 ,all ye shall be offended because of me this night4444 ,but ,peter said unto him1 ,although all shall be offended1 yet will not ,i4 ,and ,jesus saith unto him1 ,verily ,i say unto thee1 ,that this day1 even in this night1 before the cock crow twice1 thou shalt deny me thrice4#aa ,this refers to the evening crow1 for the entire scene falls in the early evening4 ,and so it was that when ,peter did deny his ,master in most earnest terms1 he went out into the porch2 and the cock crew4#ab ,again1 while ,peter was still being questioned as to whether he was not one of ,jesus' followers1 he began to curse and to swear1 saying1 ,i know not this man of whom ye speak4 ,and the second time the cock crew4#ac #djj ,the other passage#ad refers to the dawn crow4 ,watch ye1 therefore3 for ye know not when the master of the house cometh1 at even1 or at midnight1 or at the cock-crowing1 or in the morning4 ,in speaking of the speedy and mysterious coming of the ,son of man1 in the twenty-fourth chapter of ,matthew1 ,jesus alludes to the grinding at the handmill--a very common ,syrian custom4 ,the portentous saying in the forty-first verse is3 ,two women shall be grinding at the mill2 the one shall be taken1 and the other left4 ,the jaroosh 7handmill1 literally1 grinder7 has always been considered a necessary household article in ,syria4#ae ,our family possessed one1 which1 however1 was shared by the families of my two uncles4 ,the jaroosh consists of two round stones--an upper and a nether--from eighteen to twenty inches in diameter1 and about four inches in thickness4 ,it is a portable #dja article4 ,the two stones are held together by a wooden pin which is securely fastened in the center of the nether stone1 and passes through a funnel-shaped hole in the center of the upper stone4 ,a wooden handle is inserted near the outer edge of the upper stone4 ,as a rule a strong woman can grind a small quantity of wheat at this mill alone4 ,but as coperation tends to convert drudgery into pleasant work1 the women grind in pairs4 ,the mill is placed on a cloth--something like a bed-sheet--or on a sheepskin4 ,the two women sit on the floor1 exactly opposite1 and of necessity close to each other1 with the mill between them4 ,they both grasp the wooden handle and turn the upper stone with the right hand1 while they feed the mill through the funnel-shaped hole with the left hand4 ,the circular shower of coarse flour falls from between the stones onto the cloth or skin below4 ,at present the handmill is rarely used in ,syria for grinding wheat into flour1 which is now ground by the regular old-fashioned1 #djb waterwheel flouring mills4 ,the jaroosh is used in the ,lebanon districts and in the interior of ,syria for crushing wheat into brghl4 ,the wheat is first boiled and then thoroughly dried in the sun on the housetop4 ,just before it is poured into the mill the wheat is dampened with cold water1 so that while it is being crushed it is also hulled4 ,the brghl is one of the main articles of food among the common people2 it is especially used for making the famous dish1 kibbey4#af ,the whole season's supply of a family is ground in one or two evenings4 ,the occasion is usually a very gay one4 ,the neighbors gather around the mill1 the men help in the grinding1 and the telling of stories and singing of songs make of what is ordinarily a hard task a joyous festival4 ,the foregoing makes evident the meaning of the passage as used by the evangelist4 ,the coming of the ,son of man1 that great consummation of all things in the advent of the ,kingdom1 which the faithful disciples of ,christ #djc hoped and prayed for1 was to be so swift and so mysterious that only the fully awake and watchful could have a share1 in it4 ,no one could tell who would be included in the ,family ,kingdom4 ,for even those1 who in this world sat as close together as two women grinding at the mill1 were not certain of being taken together4 ,watch1 therefore3 for ye know not what hour your ,lord doth come4#ag ,it is vain to deny that this watchfulness1 this expectation of the sudden and mysterious coming of the ,kingdom1 has been a mighty factor in the development of the ,christian ,church4 ,among my correspondents who have been readers of my articles in the ,atlantic ,monthly1 are those who are interested to know the attitude of the ,syrian ,christians in general toward the creeds and dogmas of the ,church as they are known and accepted in the ,west1 and also whether ,i would not enlarge the scope of this publication so as to include #djd in it a discussion of certain doctrines which claim to have firm ,scriptural basis4 ,as may be very readily seen1 these questions involve the study of a complexity of subjects which the original plan of this book was never intended to compass4 ,again the author feels that it would be inexcusable boldness on his part to enter a field of thought which noted scholars and historians have thoroughly explored1 and to pretend to discuss issues which only such scholars have a right to discuss4 ,however1 in compliance with the requests of those interested readers ,i will contribute my mite to the vast literature of a very old subject4 ,as is well known to church historians1 the ,syrian ,christians of the ,semitic stock have had very little to do with the development of the creeds of ,christendom4 ,theological organization has been as foreign to the minds of the ,eastern ,christians as political organization4 ,they have always been worshippers rather than theologians1 believers rather than systematic #dje thinkers4 ,their religious thinking has never been brought by them into logical unity1 nor their mysticism into full metaphysical development4 ,the ,oriental has been a lender in religion and a borrower in theology4 ,the course of religion ran from the ,east to the ,west1 the course of theology ran from the ,west to the ,east4 ,had it been left to itself1 it is certain that the ,christianity of ,palestine never would have built up such a massive structure of doctrine as the ,athanasian ,creed4 ,wherever the great doctrinal statements of our religion may have originated1--whether in ,rome1 ,constantinople1 ,antioch1 or ,alexandria1--their essential parts were ,greek and ,roman1 and not ,oriental4 ,the ,christian ,church had its simple origin with a group of ,jewish followers of ,jesus ,christ in ,palestine1 but it had its marvelous expansion and organization among the ,gentiles4 ,in ,palestine the faith of the ,church may be said to have been instinctive1 but #djf among the ,gentiles and under ,greek and ,roman influences that faith became highly reflective4 ,faith in ,god the ,father1 and in his ,son 7by anointing7 ,jesus ,christ1 and love of the brethren1 constituted the simple creed of the ,palestinian ,christians4 ,it is not within my power1 nor do ,i deem it necessary here1 to trace the steps by which this simple faith was transformed into a ponderous1 learned1 and authoritative creed1 whose essentials were finally fixed in the early years of the fourth century4 ,it is sufficient for the purpose of this sketch to state that when the great doctrines which were wrought by the ,ecumenical ,councils were thus fixed1 sealed with an anathema1 and backed up by imperial and ecclesiastical power1 the churches which refused to accept them had but a very slender chance to live4 ,the intention of those beneficent ecclesiastics and politicians who controlled the actions of the ,councils was to do away with the schismatic spirit in the ,church and to have one flock and one shepherd4 #djg ,thus it may be readily realized that it was not very long after the crucifixion when the subtle mentality of the ,greek and the organizing genius of the ,roman began to assume control of the thought and practice of the ,syrian churches4 ,excommunication1 exile1 and martyrdom swept away in course of time all obstacles out of the way of the authoritative creed2 simple faith in ,christ was forced to be hospitable to intricate scholastic statements of doctrine1 and love of the brethren gave way1 as a bond of union1 to ecclesiastical authority4 ,when the ambitious ecclesiastics of ,rome and ,constantinople finally brought about the great schism which divided ,christendom into two bodies1 known as the ,eastern and the ,western1 or the ,greek and the ,latin churches1 the churches of ,syria aligned themselves with either the one or the other4 ,the creeds became to those churches party slogans and means of division and hatred1 and thus ,christ was divided1 and those who claimed to be his followers1 in both the ,orient and the ,occident1 #djh took up the cry1 ,i am of ,paul2 and ,i of ,apollos2 and ,i of ,cephas4 ,so the doctrines of the ,syrian churches of every name are essentially those of the two great ,roman ,catholic and ,greek ,orthodox communions4 ,in answer to the second question ,i will say that ,i have refrained from doctrinal discussion in the present work2 first1 because so many of the speculative doctrines of ,christendom have very little to do with the ,new ,testament2 second1 because the central purpose of this publication is simply and purely to give the ,oriental background of certain ,scriptural passages1 whose correct understanding depends upon knowledge of their original environment4 ,i have deemed it unnecessary even to follow in the footsteps of the higher critics and inquire into the genuineness and non-genuineness of some of those passages4 ,for the purpose of this work every ,scriptural passage which reflects a phase of ,eastern thought and life is genuine4 ,the aim of the author is #dji that this book shall be as free from labored arguments as the simple statements of the ,gospel themselves4 ,there is perhaps no phase of human thought which the ,christian churches have not used in the advancement of their divisive creeds and pet speculative doctrines4 ,there is an untold number of doctrinal documents which are now lying in the libraries of the world as repositories of moth and dust4 ,they are of the earth earthy4 ,the idea of universal brotherhood and human solidarity which is agitating the minds of men of all races and countries at the present time1 is leading the ,christian bodies back to the simple faith of ,jesus of ,nazareth1 and causing them to heap contempt upon their technical subtleties and forced uniformities of intellectual belief4 ,at least ,protestantism is beginning to be sympathetically aware of its own precious heritage1 and to feel the urging of its own genius4 ,free and coperative individualism is winning signal victories over the unnatural authority of creed in the ,protestant #daj bodies1 and the bondage of the letter is giving way to the freedom of the spirit4 ,the ,gospel of ,christ is triumphing over the theories about ,christ1 and spiritual self-fulfillment by becoming ,christ-like is crowding out of existence all theories of magical salvation4 ,the creed of the theologians consists of many articles2 the creed of ,christ only of two1--,love the ,lord thy ,god with all thy heart1 and thy neighbor as thyself4 ,i prefer ,christ's creed4 ,,the ,,end #a ,gen4 xxiv3 #b-d4 #b ,matt4 xxvii3 #ei1 #fj4 #c ,exod4 xii3 #cd4 #d ,see page #aih4 #e ,see page #bhc4 #f ,is4 xli3 #ae4 ,revised ,version4 #g #b ,kings #aa3 #bc-bd4 #h ,see my autobiography1 ,a ,far ,journey1 page #id4 #i ,is4 xlix3 #bb4 #aj ,luke xxiii3 #bf-ca4 #aa ,mark xiv3 #bg-cj4 #ab ,mark xiv3 #fh4 #ac ,mark xiv3 #ga1 #gb4 #ad ,mark xiii3 #ce4 #ae ,see ,deut4 xxiv3 #f4 #af ,see page #bcc4 #ag ,matt4 xxiv3 #db4 #dac ,,index ,admittance of an infant into the ,church1 #cg-dj4 ,agricultural life1 in ,america1 #bhe2 in ,syria1 #bhf-id4 ',aish1 the sacred1 #aid4 ,american and ,syrian modes of thought1 contrast between1 #abf1 #abg4 ,american farmer1 lack of romance in his life1 #bhe4 ,american life1 interpretation of1 #i1 #aj4 ,american mind1 attitude toward conception and birth1 #bb4 ,american women1 highly regarded by men1 #cad2 cultivation and privileges of1 #caf4 ,american youth1 seem to be indifferent to filial obedience1 #eb1 #ec4 ,angels as heavenly messengers1 #ab4 ,anglo-,saxon1 the1 and the ,oriental1 as they appear to each other1 #eg2 the reserve of1 #gb1 #gc2 uses deeds rather than words in his quarrels1 #ie2 curtness of1 #ajh2 has high regard for woman1 #cac4 ,anointing the feet1 #bbf-bh4 ,arabic1 the language of the ,syrians1 #age2 poetry1 #ced4 ,athanasian ,creed1 #dje4 ,atheism unknown among the ,orientals1 #hd1 #he4 ,athens1 #bfd4 ,baking of bread in ,syria1 #bjj-jb4 ,baldness1 #chc4 ,baptism1 #ch1 #bba4 ,barrenness1 #bj4 ,basins for kneading1 #aih1 #cgd4 ,beard1 swearing by the1 #agb1 #agc2 the sacredness of the1 among ,orientals1 #agb4 ,bears1 #chb1 #chc4 ,bed1 letting down the1 #bgj-gb2 taking up the1 #bgb4 ,bethlehem1 star of1 #ca1 #cf1 #cg1 #da4 ,betrothals1 #bba4 ,bible1 the1 cast in ,oriental moulds of thought1 #d2 reads like a letter from ,syria1 #e1 #f2 characteristics of1 #e1 #f2 as a repository of divine revelation1 knows no geographical limits1 #f2 as literature1 an imported article in the ,western world1 #g2 misunderstood through misunderstanding of ,syrian life1 #aa2 critics of1 #da1 #aai1 #abh2 inaccuracy of statement in1 #aaj-ad2 metaphors and exaggerations of1 #aai-be2 many passages of1 to be judged by what they mean rather than by what they say1 #aci2 the positiveness of speech of1 #ahd1 #ahh2 prominent mention of ,mary and ,martha as ,jesus' entertainers in1 #bjg1 #cce2 the words home and house in the translation of1 #bdc2 purpose of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel1 #cdc-de4 ,passages cited or expounded3 ,acts x1 p4 #bgg-gi2 xvi3 #ae1 p4 #baj2 xvii3 #ag1 p4 #bfd2 xviii3 #ah1 p4 #ag2 xxi3 #aj-ac1 p4 #aaf2 xxi3 #bc1 p4 #ah2 xxvi3 #h1 p4 #ba4 ,amos iii3 #ab1 p4 #cjh2 iv3 #e1 p4 #ih2 vi3 #c-d1 p4 #bbi4 #a ,cor4 vii3 #d1 #ad1 p4 #cbf2 vii3 #bf1 p4 #ahd2 xi3 #e1 p4 #ccb2 xi3 #g-h1 p4 #cbi2 xiv3 #cd1 p4 #ccc4 #b ,cor4 ix3 #f1 p4 #hc2 xi3 #bf-bg1 p4 #bdf4 ,deut4 xxi3 #ae-ag1 p4 #ajj2 xxi3 #ah-ba1 p4 #ccf2 xxiii3 #be1 p4 #bia2 xxiv3 #f1 p4 #djj2 xxv3 #g1 p4 #ih2 xxv3 #ae1 p4 #ajj2 xxviii1 #ae1 #db1 p4 #bid2 xxviii3 #fb1 p4 #cb2 xxxii3 #ci1 p4 #ia4 ,eccles4 vii3 #f1 p4 #bij4 ,ephes4 v3 #bb-bc1 p4 #cbh2 v3 #be-bi1 p4 #cbf4 ,exod4 x3 #dj1 p4 #bic2 xii3 #c1 #f1 p4 #bcc2 xii3 #aa1 p4 #bed2 xii3 #cd1 p4 #cgc2 xii3 #ci1 p4 #cgd4 ,ezek4 xvi3 #a-d1 p4 #cj2 xxxiv3 #aa-ac1 #af1 p4 #cjd4 ,gal4 iii3 #bh1 p4 #cbe2 vi3 #g1 p4 #hc4 ,gen4 i3 #bg1 p4 #ccj2 iii1 p4 #ed2 iv3 #bc1 p4 #ach2 xv3 #e1 p4 #cc2 xviii3 #b-c1 #e1 p4 #bjf2 xviii3 #af1 p4 #bba2 xxi3 #bc1 p4 #afg2 xxii3 #af1 p4 #afi2 xxiii3 #c-f1 p4 #cgj2 xxiii3 #h-i1 p4 #cga2 xxiii3 #aa1 p4 #cga2 xxiii3 #ae-af1 p4 #cgb2 xxiv3 #b-d1 pp4 #cfg1 #cfh2 xxiv3 #aj-aa1 p4 #bfj2 xxiv3 #cj-cc1 p4 #aib2 xxiv3 #ec-ed1 pp4 #aib1 #aic2 xxiv3 #fj1 p4 #bc2 xxvii3 #bh-bi1 p4 #cch2 xxvii3 #ch1 p4 #cci2 xxx3 #a1 p4 #bc2 xxxi3 #ec1 p4 #aga2 xlix3 #be1 p4 #cdf4 ,hebr4 vi3 #ac1 p4 #agj4 ,is4 iv3 #f1 p4 #bda2 xxxviii3 #ab1 p4 #bif2 xl3 #aa1 p4 #cjf2 xli3 #ae1 p4 #cgh2 xlvii3 #ac-ad1 p4 #cf2 xlix3 #bb-bc1 pp4 #chi-ia2 lviii3 #aa1 p4 #bdh2 lxii3 #h1 p4 #agj2 lxiii3 #b1 p4 #bhc4 ,jerem4 lxviii3 #ch1 p4 #bge4 ,job xiii3 #ae1 p4 #ahj2 xxi3 #cb1 p4 #bac2 xxiv3 #aa1 p4 #bhd1 xxix3 #a-f1 p4 #ada2 xxxi3 #cb2 p4 #bac4 ,john i3 #dg-dh1 p4 #bhb2 ii3 #d1 p4 #cdj2 ii3 #ac-af1 pp4 #acd1 #ace2 iv3 #ba1 #bc1 p4 #cdb2 x3 #a-d1 pp4 #big-ii2 x3 #a-af1 p4 #bie2 x3 #aa1 p4 #cjd2 xii3 #b1 p4 #bbd2 xii3 #c1 p4 #bbf2 xiii3 #bc1 p4 #fe2 xiii3 #bf1 p4 #fh2 xiii3 #bh-bi1 p4 #fi2 xv3 #e1 p4 #bhj2 xv3 #i1 #ab1 p4 #ajb2 xix3 #be-bf1 p4 #cde2 xxi3 #ae-af1 p4 #ahc4 ,joshua ix3 #ab1 p4 #bea4 ,judges vi3 #aa1 p4 #cgf2 vi3 #cf-dj1 pp4 #aha1 #ahb2 vii3 #e-f1 p4 #chj2 vii3 #ab1 p4 #bfj2 viii3 #g1 p4 #bij2 xii3 #e-f1 p4 #agf2 xix3 #e-aj1 pp4 #bai-ba2 xix3 #ad-ba1 pp4 #baa1 #bab4 #a ,kings viii3 #cg1 p4 #bib2 xix3 #d1 p4 #cge2 xix3 #ai1 p4 #bhg4 #b ,kings #aa3 #bc-bd1 p4 #chb2 iv3 #a-f1 pp4 #chc1 #chd2 iv3 #bb1 #bd-be1 p4 #ad4 ,lament4 v3 #aj1 p4 #bjb4 ,lev4 xii3 #b-d1 p4 #che2 xxv3 #ce1 p4 #abc2 xxvi3 #bf1 p4 #bjb4 ,luke i3 #bh1 #ca1 p4 #bj2 ii3 #h-ad1 pp4 #db1 #dc2 ii3 #ab1 #ae-af1 p4 #bh2 ii3 #bb1 p4 #cg3 ii3 #bi1 p4 #ci2 ii3 #da1 p4 #dh2 ii3 #dd1 p4 #ej2 ii3 #ea1 p4 #ea2 iii3 #af1 p4 #cia2 iii3 #ag1 p4 #cgi2 iv3 #ah1 p4 #ahf2 v3 #ai1 pp4 #bgj-ga2 vi3 #a-aa1 p4 #bia2 vi3 #ch1 p4 #bfg2 vii3 #cf-ch1 p4 #bbf2 viii3 #cc1 p4 #aeh2 vii3 #dc-dh1 p4 #cic2 ix3 #fb1 p4 #bhh2 x3 #d2 p4 #bee2 xi3 #e-g1 p4 #bad2 xi3 #h-i1 p4 #bag2 xi3 #aa1 #bc1 #bg1 p4 #cdf2 xii3 #ac-ae1 p4 #aef2 xiii3 #ab1 p4 #cdb2 xiv3 #af-bc1 p4 #baj2 xv3 #h-af1 pp4 #aeb-eg2 xv3 #bj-bc1 pp4 #bjf1 #bjg2 xviii3 #b-e1 p4 #agi2 xxii3 #ae1 p4 #gd2 xxii3 #ai1 p4 #fe2 xxii3 #dd1 p4 #ge2 xxiii3 #bf-ca1 p4 #cie4 ,mal4 iv3 #a1 p4 #bjb4 ,mark #a3 #cb-cc1 p4 #aaj2 ii3 #c-d1 p4 #bgj2 iii3 #bj1 p4 #bbb2 v3 #ac1 p4 #aeh2 vi3 #ca1 p4 #bbc2 viii3 #ae1 p4 #aeb2 x3 #ag-ba1 p4 #aja2 x3 #bd1 p4 #acb2 xii3 #ch1 pp4 #bfc1 #bfd2 xiii3 #ce1 p4 #djj2 xiv3 #ag-bj1 p4 #fj2 xiv3 #bc1 p4 #fc2 xiv3 #bg-cj1 #fh1 #ga-gb1 p4 #cii2 xiv3 #ec1 #ff-ga1 p4 #agg4 ,matt4 i3 #bj-ba1 p4 #af2 ii3 #aa1 p4 #bg2 iii3 #g-i1 pp4 #aag1 #aah2 iii3 #aa1 p4 #cia2 v1 p4 #abj2 v3 #bi-cj1 p4 #aai2 v3 #cd-cg1 pp4 #agc1 #agd2 v3 #ci-da1 p4 #aba2 v3 #db1 p4 #abb2 v3 #dc-de1 p4 #ig2 vii3 #b1 p4 #bfe2 viii3 #cb1 p4 #aeh2 x3 #i-aj1 p4 #bdi2 x3 #ab-ac1 p4 #hg2 x3 #af1 #bb1 #bf-bg1 p4 #bgd2 xi3 #af-ag1 p4 #bfd2 xiii3 #bd-cj1 pp4 #adf-dh1 #bhh2 xiii3 #cc-ce1 pp4 #adi1 #aii2 xiii3 #cd1 p4 #ade2 xiii3 #dd1 p4 #afa2 xv3 #bh1 p4 #cdb2 xvi3 #f1 p4 #aeb2 xvi3 #ac1 p4 #aab2 xvi3 #ba-bc1 p4 #acd2 xvi3 #be-bf1 p4 #aab2 xvii3 #a1 p4 #aab2 xvii3 #ai1 p4 #abh2 xviii3 #c1 p4 #ahg2 xviii3 #aj1 p4 #hi2 xviii3 #ab-ad1 pp4 #cjh1 #cji2 xviii3 #ae-ag1 pp4 #ace1 #acf1 #aci2 xviii3 #ba-bb1 p4 #acc2 xviii3 #bc-ce1 pp4 #acf1 #acg2 xix3 #bd1 p4 #acj2 xx3 #i1 p4 #bgg n42 xxiii3 #bd1 p4 #acc2 xxiv3 #ag1 p4 #bfi2 xxiv3 #da1 p4 #djj2 xxiv3 #db1 p4 #djc2 xxvi3 #g1 #bj1 p4 #bbd2 xxvi3 #ba1 p4 #ei2 xxvi3 #bc1 p4 #eh2 xxvi3 #bg1 #bi1 p4 #bcg2 xxvi3 #cg-ci1 p4 #gf2 xxvi3 #di1 p4 #ga2 xxvi3 #gc1 p4 #agg2 xxvii3 #ei-fj1 p4 #cga2 xxviii3 #bj1 p4 #fe4 ,mic4 iv3 #d1 p4 #bhb4 ,prov4 x3 #g1 p4 #hi2 xi3 #bb1 p4 #cea2 xii3 #d1 p4 #cea2 xxi3 #i1 p4 #bgc2 xxvii3 #bb1 p4 #bcd2 xxxi3 #aj-ca1 pp4 #cee-eg2 xxxvii3 #bb1 p4 #bcd4 ,psalms v3 #g1 p4 #ch2 viii3 #c-d1 p4 #ca2 xviii3 #b-c1 p4 #bde2 xix1 p4 #cf2 xix3 #a-b1 p4 #cb2 xix3 #i1 #aa1 p4 #hf2 xx3 #bb1 p4 #ci2 xxiii1 pp4 #gc1 #bie2 xxiii3 #a1 p4 #big2 xxiii3 #c1 pp4 #cjb1 #cjc2 xxiii3 #d1 pp4 #cje1 #cji2 xli3 #i1 p4 #aic2 xliv3 #ad1 p4 #ada2 xlvi3 #a-b1 p4 #bde2 li1 p4 #gc2 lxi3 #c1 p4 #bda2 lxxx3 #h-i1 #ad-ae1 p4 #bha2 cix3 #h-ac1 pp4 #ib1 #ic2 cxix3 #ga-gb1 p4 #bde2 cxxviii3 #c1 p4 #bha2 cxxix3 #e-h1 p4 #hh2 cxxx3 #a1 #f1 p4 #chg2 cxxxix3 #a-f1 p4 #hb2 cxlv3 #af1 p4 #aie2 cxlvii3 #d-e1 p4 #cc4 ,rom4 vi3 #ac1 p4 #abj2 ix3 #a1 p4 #afh2 ix3 #ac1 p4 #ii2 xii3 #a1 p4 #afh2 xii3 #ai1 p4 #ia4 ,ruth ii3 #d1 p4 #hh4 #a ,sam4 xx3 #bg-bi1 p4 #bce4 #b ,sam4 x3 #d-e1 p4 #agb4 ,sol4 ii3 #aj-ad1 pp4 #ceb1 #cec2 iv3 #a-c1 p4 #cec2 vii3 #a-i1 p4 #cec4 #a ,thess4 iii3 #f1 p4 #fd4 ,zeph4 i3 #d-e1 p4 #bgf4 ,birth1 of ,jesus1 #ab2 a miracle1 #bj2 attitude of ,syrian mind toward1 #bj-be2 attitude of ,american mind toward1 #bb1 #bd2 of man-child1 #bg-bi2 customs at1 #bh4 ,see ,nativity4 ,blood ,covenant1 the1 #afj4 ,books on the ,east1 #aj4 ,borrowing and lending1 #abb-bd1 #bae4 ,bosom1 in the translation of the ,bible1 #bfg4 ,bread1 unleavened1 #aej2 not to be eaten until errand is known1 #aia1 #aib2 considered to possess mystic sacred significance1 #aic2 the life-giver1 #aid2 offering of1 #aid2 of life1 ,christ1 #aid2 our daily bread1 #aif1 #aig2 the ,oriental's attitude toward1 is religious1 #aig2 the process of mixing1 #aih-bjj2 the process of baking1 #bjj-jb2 bought by weight1 #bjc2 always eaten with a sense of sacredness1 #bcg1 #bch2 carried on a journey1 #bej1 #bea2 does not mould in ,syria1 #bea4 ,bread and salt1 #aia-ie1 #bch4 ,brghl1 an article of food1 #djb4 ,burning pit1 the1 #bja4 ,burying-places in the ,east1 #cgj1 #cga4 ,business success1 #ec4 ,cakes of the ,bible1 #cgd-gf4 ,cameleers1 #bfj-fc1 #bfe4 ,camels1 caravans of1 #bei1 #bfj2 the watering of1 #bfa1 #bfb2 riding on1 #bfb1 #bfc4 ,caravans1 #bei1 #bfj4 ,carnivals1 #bcc4 ,carob tree1 the1 #aeh1 #aei4 ,carrying children on the shoulder1 #chi-ia4 ,chaff1 #cgi4 ,childlessness1 evidence of divine disfavor1 #bj1 #bc4 ,children1 a heritage from the ,lord1 #bc1 #bd2 presentation of1 at the temple1 #cg2 owe obedience to both mother and father1 #cce1 #ccf2 carrying on the shoulder1 #chi-ia4 ,christ4 ,see ,jesus4 ,christian ,church4 ,see ,church4 ,christians1 oaths of1 #agj1 #aga2 ,syrian1 of the ,semitic stock1 have had little to do with the development of creeds1 #djd2 creed of the ,palestinian1 #djf4 ,christmas1 #da4 ,christmas carol1 #da1 #de4 ,church1 spoken of as the vine which ,god has planted1 #bha2 the origin and the expansion and organization of1 #dje2 division of1 #djg1 #djh4 ,churches1 of ,syria1 #djg1 #djh2 the ,greek and the ,latin1 #djg2 the ,roman ,catholic and the ,greek ,orthodox1 #djh4 ,clarke1 ,adam1 and ,jesus pilgrimage to ,jerusalem1 #di2 on the parable of the treasure hid in the field1 #afa1 #afb4 ,clocks in ,syria1 #bgg n4 ,clothing made at home in ,syria1 #cfc4 ,coat and cloak1 the words1 #aba1 #bec4 ,cock crow1 #cig-ii4 ,coin1 lost1 parable of the1 #aeb-ee4 ,coming of the ,son of man1 the1 #djj-jc4 ,conception1 attitude of the ,syrian mind toward1 #bj-be2 attitude of the ,american mind toward1 #bc1 #bd4 ,constantinople1 #dje1 #djg4 ,corruption1 fermentation considered to be1 #aea1 #aeb4 ,couches1 reclining on1 #bbg-cj2 sleeping on1 #bga1 #bgb4 ,courtesy1 example of ,oriental1 #cgj-gc4 ,creed-makers of ,christendom1 #abh4 ,creeds1 #djc1 #djd1 #djg1 #dji1 #daj4 ,crier from the housetop1 #bgc1 #bgd4 ,critics1 of the ,bible1 #da1 #aai1 #abh2 of ,paul and ,christianity1 #cbh2 higher1 #djh4 ,crowds1 #bbb-bd4 ,crowing of the cock1 #cig-ii4 ,crucifixion1 the story of the1 #cie-ig4 ,culture gives strength and symmetry to religious thought1 #he4 ,curses4 ,see ,imprecations4 ,curtness of the ,anglo-,saxon1 #ajh4 ,da ,vinci1 ,leonardo1 his painting of ,the ,last ,supper1 #eh1 #ei1 #fg4 ,dependence of the ,oriental1 #gb1 #gc4 ,dialects of the ,oriental's speech1 #age-gh4 ,dipping in the dish1 #eh1 #fj1 #fa4 ,disobedience1 #ed1 #cce1 #ccf4 ,distaff1 the1 #cei1 #cfj4 ,dough1 #cgc4 ,drawing water1 #bfa4 ,drink1 the word as used in the ,bible1 #aic n4 ,drinking1 at feasts1 #fa-fc1 #bcf1 #bcg2 manner of1 #chj1 #cha4 ,eating1 #eh-fa1 #bbb-bd4 ,ecumenical ,councils1 #djf4 ,eleventh hour1 the1 #bgg n4 ,elijah1 #cge4 ,elisha1 the story of1 #chb1 #chc2 his kindness to a poor widow1 #chc1 #chd4 ,enemies1 love of4 ,see ,love4 ,evolution1 not altogether compulsory1 #bdb4 ,exaggeration1 ,oriental fondness for1 #aah4 ,eye-of-the-needle passage1 the1 #acj-cb4 ,faith1 of the ,oriental1 #ba2 ,syrian idealization of1 #abi2 early ,palestinian1 #djf4 ,familiar friend1 the1 #aic4 ,family1 spoken of as a vine1 #bha4 ,farmer1 the ,american1 #bhe2 the ,syrian1 #bhf-id4 ,fasting1 #ae4 ,feasts1 fraternal1 in ,syria1 #ef-fi1 #bba2 family1 #bca-ch4 ,fecundity1 a gift of the ,lord1 #bj2 leaven a symbol of1 #aej4 ,feet1 washing and anointing1 #bbf-bh2 unclean in a ceremonial sense1 #bbh1 #bib4 ,fermentation1 considered to be corruption1 #aea1 #aeb4 ,fig tree1 and the vine1 the ,oriental's chief joys1 #bhj2 sitting under1 #bha1 #bhb4 ,filial obedience1 #ea-ee1 #cce1 #ccf4 ,flocks of sheep and goats1 and their folds1 #bie1 #bif2 returning1 #cjj2 the shepherd's guidance of1 #cja1 #cjb2 the gathering of the1 #cjc4 ,folds1 sheep and goat1 #bie-ih4 ,forgiveness1 #acc-ci4 ,forty days1 the purification period1 #ch4 ,garment1 cure effected by touch of1 #cic-ie4 ,gathering of the flock1 the1 #cjc4 ,gentiles1 the1 #dje1 #djf4 ,gesticulation of the ,oriental1 #aae-ag4 ,gethsemane1 the kiss in1 #gj1 #gd1 #gf4 ,ghebb 7sucking of the water with the lips71 #cha4 ,gideon1 the story of1 #cgf1 #cgg2 his army1 #chj1 #cha4 ,girdle1 the ,syrian1 #beb1 #bec2 placing the hand under1 #cfi4 ,goad1 the ,syrian1 #bhf1 #bhh1 #cgh4 ,goatfolds1 #bie-ih4 ,goats1 the calling of1 by name1 #bii4 ,god1 called shelter and refuge1 #bda1 #bdd1 #bde2 the ,oriental's belief that all good comes from1 #chf1 #chg4 ,good pleasure1 #cce-ci4 ,gospel4 ,see ,bible4 ,gracious woman1 a1 #cdh-fd4 ,grain1 measuring1 #bfe-fg2 threshing1 #cgg-hj4 ,greeks1 their custom of reclining at meals1 #bbe4 ,green tree1 #cif1 #cig4 ,grinding wheat1 #djj-jc4 ,guest1 at the feast1 #fb2 sudden arrival of1 #bac-af2 delaying the departing1 #bah-ba2 departure of1 #bba2 invited in families1 #bba1 #bbb2 sit on the floor1 #bbb2 and zad1 #bej4 ,hair1 cutting the1 release from vow1 #ag1 #ah4 ,handmill1 #djj-jc4 ,harem1 the1 #ccc1 #ccd4 ,hate1 the word1 in the ,arabic tongue1 #ii2 in the ,bible1 #ii1 #ajj4 ,hatred and love1 #ajd-jf4 ,hidden treasures1 #afa-ff4 ,holidays1 #bba4 ,home1 no word for1 among the ,syrians1 #bda1 #bdc2 the word in the translation of the ,bible1 #bdc4 ,honoring father and mother1 #cce4 ,horn1 symbol of strength1 #bde n4 ,hospitality1 of ,orientals1 #bje2 extended by the man1 not the woman1 #bje-jg1 #ccd1 #cce2 ,syrian fashion of extending1 #bjh-ac2 compulsion to accept1 #baj1 #bad2 ,syrian rules of1 #bac-ba2 to the traveler1 #bdi1 #bej4 ,host1 the man1 not the woman1 acts as1 #bje-jg1 #ccd1 #cce2 the urging of hospitality by1 #bjh-ba2 bringing the guest on the way1 #bba2 and zad1 #bej4 ,house1 ,syrian use of the word1 #bda-dd2 the word in the translation of the ,bible1 #bdc2 the word precious to the ,oriental1 #bdd4 ,house1 the ,syrian1 #bdb1 #bfi4 ,housetop1 the shouting of wares from1 #bfi1 #bgc2 easily reached1 #bfi1 #bgj2 making an opening in1 #bgj-gb2 the construction of1 #bga2 sleeping on1 #bgb2 to dwell on1 #bgc2 calling from1 #bgc1 #bgd2 used for household purposes1 #bge1 #djb2 praying on1 #bge-gi4 ,hrmat1 term for wife1 #ccc2 term for woman1 #cdb4 ,husband and wife1 according to ,st4 ,paul1 #cbf-bi1 #ceh4 ,husks1 #aeh4 ,hyenas1 #cjg1 #cjh4 ,imploring1 ,oriental habit of1 #agh-ha1 #bag4 ,importunity1 ,oriental habit of1 #agh-ha1 #bag4 ,imprecations1 #hh1 #ia-ie1 #adf4 ,see ,swearing4 ,impressions vs4 literal accuracy1 #aae-ci4 ,inaccuracy1 intellectual1 of the ,oriental1 #ajh-ad4 ,increase1 the miracle of1 #chd-hg4 ,indefiniteness1 effect produced by1 #ach1 #aci4 ,individualism1 #dji4 ,infant1 the1 in ,syria1 #bh1 #bi2 admittance of1 into the church1 #cg-dj4 ,ingersoll1 ,robert1 #abh4 ,inheritances1 division of1 #aee1 #aef4 ,interpretation1 sympathetic1 a duty of present-day culture1 #ai4 ,isaiah1 #cf4 ,jaroosh 7handmill71 #djj-jb4 ,jerusalem1 arraignment of1 #cj2 ,jesus goes on pilgrimage to1 #dg-ea4 ,jesus ,christ1 a man without a country1 #c2 belongs to all races and all ages1 #c2 as regards his modes of thought and life and his method of teaching1 was a ,syrian of the ,syrians1 #d2 never out of ,palestine1 #d2 story of his birth1 #ab2 goes on pilgrimage to ,jerusalem1 #dg-ea2 filial obedience of1 #ea-ee2 closing scenes in his personal career1 #ef1 #gb2 his command to his countrymen to love their enemies1 #if2 and the money-lenders1 #abc-be2 tendency of1 to use parables1 #adf2 his command in regard to swearing1 #agc1 #agd2 his words to ,peter1 #ahc2 entertained by ,mary and ,martha1 #bjg1 #cce2 the anointing of his feet1 #bbf-bh2 sending his disciples forth1 #bdi2 his injunction1 ,salute no man by the way1 #bee1 #beg2 his first meeting with ,nathaniel1 #bhb2 on dishonoring the sacred day1 #bia1 #bib2 and his mother1 #cdj-de2 his conversation with the ,samaritan woman1 #cdb2 as the incarnation of the ,logos1 #cdc-de2 cure effected by the hem of his garment1 #cic-ie2 the crucifixion of1 #cie-ig2 conversation of1 with ,peter after the ,last ,supper1 #cii2 the ,gospel of ,christ is triumphing over the theories about1 #daj2 his creed1 #daj4 ,john1 leaning on ,jesus' bosom1 #fe-fg4 ,john the ,baptist1 #cia1 #cib4 ,joseph1 story of1 #af4 ,journeys4 ,see ,traveling4 ,judas1 the treachery of1 #fg-ga4 ,judicial contests1 swearing in1 #afi4 ,keyyal 7measurer71 #bfe1 #bff4 ,kherrb 7carob71 #aeh1 #aei4 ,kibbey1 a dish of meat and crushed wheat1 #bcc1 #bcd1 #djb4 ,killing of the sheep1 the1 #bca-cc4 ,kiss1 ,judas's1 #gj1 #ga4 ,kissing1 among men1 a ,syrian custom1 #gj1 #ga2 of the hands of parents1 #cce4 ,kneading done in the evening1 #cgc4 ,kneading-day1 #aih-bjj4 ,kneading-troughs1 #cgd4 ,kummer 7girdle71 #beb1 #bec4 ,lambs1 newly born1 carried by shepherd1 #cjf1 #cjg4 ,language1 daily1 of the ,syrian1 is ,biblical1 #hg-ij2 abstinence from pious1 in ,america1 #ij4 ,see ,speech4 ,lap1 in the ,bible1 #bfg4 ,last ,supper1 the1 #ef-fi1 #gd2 in harmony with ,syrian life1 #ef1 #eg2 painted by da ,vinci in ,occidental form1 #eh1 #ei2 appointments of1 were ,oriental1 #ei-fi2 no women at1 #bjg1 #ccd2 conversation of ,jesus and ,peter after1 #cii4 ,leaven1 parable of the1 #adi1 #aii2 held in esteem by the ,syrians1 #aej2 the meaning corruption figurative1 #aeb2 use of1 in making bread1 #aii4 ,lent1 #bcc-ch4 ,leopards1 #cjg4 ,levite1 the story of the1 #baa1 #bab1 #bai-ba4 ,life1 of a people1 cannot be studied from the outside1 #g-aa2 to the ,oriental an inheritance1 #bdb4 ,like 7to be favorably inclined toward71 not in the ,bible or the ,arabic tongue1 #ih2 in ,english version of the ,bible1 #ih4 ,literature1 difficult to understand if it has not sprung from the people's racial life1 #f2 the ,bible as1 #g4 ,loaves1 parable of the three1 #bad-ag4 ,locusts1 #bib-id4 ,lord's ,prayer1 the1 #aif4 ,love1 of enemies1 #if-ajf2 not of our own making1 #ig2 meaning of1 in the ,west1 #ih2 meaning of1 in the ,east1 #ih-ajb2 speaks of the greatest thing in the world1 #ajc2 and hatred1 #ajd-jf2 assurances of1 #ahb4 ,man-child1 birth of1 #bg-bi4 ,marafeh1 feast of the1 #bcc-cg4 ,market-place1 ,syrian1 and the caravan1 #bei2 a place of sociability as well as business1 #bfc1 #bfd2 measuring grain in1 #bfe-fh4 ,marriage in the ,east1 #cdh-ej4 ,marriage wishes1 #bc1 #bd4 ,martha1 not at the ,last ,supper1 #bjg1 #bjh1 #cce4 ,mary1 not at the ,last ,supper1 #bjg1 #bjh1 #cce2 ,jesus and1 #cdj-de4 ,maternity1 pilgrimage for1 #ab-af4 ,mathel1 meaning of1 #adj4 ,mattresses1 #baf4 ,measure1 the generous1 #bfe-fh4 ,measurer1 the1 #bfe-fh4 ,mecca1 #dg4 ,melleh 7cakes71 #cgd1 #cge4 ,merchants1 muleteer1 #bfi1 #bgc4 ,metaphor1 ,oriental fondness for1 #aah4 ,midd 7a wooden measure71 #bfe1 #bff4 ,miracles1 #bj1 #ba1 #chd-hg4 ,mocking of the afflicted1 #cha-hc4 ,modesty the chief charm of the ,oriental woman1 #ccb4 ,mohammedans1 pilgrimages of1 #dg2 oaths of1 #afi1 #agj2 position of women among1 #cah n41 #cca4 ,molasses1 the method of making1 in the ,east1 #bhe4 ,money-lenders1 #abc-be4 ,mortar1 #cgi4 ,mother1 claiming same obedience as father1 #cce1 #ccf2 ,jesus and his1 #cdj-de2 the mother's milk1 #cde-dg4 ,mouldy1 in translation of the ,bible1 #bea4 ,mount ,zion1 meeting in the upper room on1 #ef-fi4 ,muleteer1 merchants1 #bfi1 #bgc4 ,mustache1 swearing by1 #aga-gc4 ,mysticism1 #da1 #db4 ,nativity1 narrative of the1 #cg1 #da-dd4 ,nazarite 7nedher71 #af1 #ah4 ,nezel1 #fb4 ,oaks1 #cgf4 ,oaths4 ,see ,imprecations1 ,swearing4 ,obedience1 filial1 #ea-ee1 #cce1 #ccf4 ,oil1 miraculous increase of1 #chd-hf4 ,open space1 the1 in ,syrian villages1 #baj4 ,optimism1 #de4 ,oriental1 the1 and the ,anglo-,saxon1 in each other's eyes1 #eg2 not afraid to let himself go1 #eg1 #gb2 dependence of1 #gb1 #gc2 craves sympathy1 #gc2 the vision of1 #gg2 his manner of speech1 #ha2 has not achieved much in the material world1 #hc2 his supreme choice has been religion1 #hd2 always conscious of ,god and the soul1 #hd2 does not know of atheism1 #hd1 #he2 has always lived in a world of spiritual mysteries1 #hf2 his imprecations1 #ia-ie2 considers his personal enemies to be the enemies of ,god1 #ic2 more cruel in words than in deeds1 #ie2 the unveracious1 #ajg-ad2 intellectual inaccuracy of1 #ajh2 expects to be judged by what he means1 not by what he says1 #aae1 #abe2 his speech is always illustrated1 #aae2 fond of metaphor and exaggeration1 #aah2 does not maliciously misrepresent1 #abf2 use of parables and proverbs1 a characteristic of1 #adj2 makes no distinction between a parable and a proverb1 #adj2 his contempt for swineherds1 #aeg1 #aeh2 his tendency to swear1 #afg-gd2 the dialects of his speech1 #age-hh2 his habit of imploring1 #agh-ha2 the intimacy and unreserve of his speech1 #aha-hc2 the unqualified positiveness of his speech1 #ahc-hh2 bread and salt to1 #aia-ie2 his understanding of the prayer ,give us our daily bread1 #aif1 #aig2 religious attitude of1 toward bread1 #aig2 bread-making of1 #aih-bjd2 hospitality of1 #bje-ag2 his table appointments1 #bbb1 #cbj2 life is an inheritance to1 #bdb2 the word house precious to1 #bdd2 his method of salutation1 #bee-eh2 knows no business without sociability1 #bfc2 his reputed lack of regard for women1 #cad1 #cae2 gives man the precedence1 #caf1 #cag2 his manner rather than intentions toward woman at fault1 #cah1 #cai1 #cbb1 #cbc2 has only comparatively slight acquaintance with the art of living1 #cai2 his life simple and without exacting standards1 #cai1 #cbj2 his social activities simple1 #cba2 hates to be standardized1 #cba2 abhors formalities in the family circle1 #cba1 #cbb2 the family system of1 patriarchal1 #cbc1 #cbh2 his attitude toward woman according to ,st4 ,paul1 #cbe-cc2 limits woman's social privileges because of fear for her1 #ccj1 #cca2 his descriptions of feminine loveliness1 #cea-ee2 his description of the virtuous woman1 #cee-fd2 example of courtesy of1 #cgj-gc2 his belief that all good comes from ,god1 #chf1 #chg2 his belief in the efficacy of touch to impart divine power1 #cid2 has been a leader in religion and a borrower in theology1 #dje4 ,see ,syria1 ,syrians4 ,oven1 of the ,bible1 #bjj-jb4 ,overcautiousness in the pulpit1 #ahf1 #ahg4 ,palestine1 #dje4 ,parable1 of the prodigal son1 #adb2 #aeb1 #aee-fa1 #bjf1 #bjg2 to picture demoralization beyond redemption1 #adc1 #add2 on partiality1 #add1 #ade2 of the wheat and the tares1 #adf-di2 of the leaven1 #adi1 #aii2 of the lost sheep1 #aeb1 #cjh2 of the lost coin1 #aeb-ee2 of the treasure hid in the field1 #afa-ff2 of the unrighteous judge1 #agi1 #ahj2 of the three loaves1 #bad-ag4 ,parables1 speaking in1 #adj-ff2 and proverbs1 ,oriental makes no distinction between1 #adj2 fondness of ,oriental for1 #adj1 #ada2 sociableness of1 #adb4 ,parents1 honoring and obeying1 #ea-ee1 #cce1 #ccf4 ,passover1 feast of the1 #di4 ,path1 the beaten1 #cja1 #cjb4 ,patron saints as heavenly messengers1 #ab4 ,paul1 his statements concerning the ,syrian attitude toward women1 #cbe-cc4 ,pebble1 the covering of the1 #bjc1 #bjd4 ,personality1 secret of1 an impenetrable mystery1 #d4 ,pessimism1 #de4 ,peter1 his experience in the palace of the high priest1 #agg1 #agh2 ,jesus and1 #ahc2 his vision1 #bgf-gi4 ,pilgrimage1 meaning1 to a ,syrian1 #ac1 #ad2 the zeara1 #ac-ag1 #dg1 #dh2 of ,jesus to ,jerusalem1 #dg-ea2 still common in ,syria1 #dg2 occasion of union among the common people1 #bba4 ,place of residence1 the term1 #bdc4 ,plough1 the ,syrian1 #bhf-hh4 ,poetry1 dominant feature of ,oriental speech1 #ajh2 description of feminine loveliness in1 #ced1 #cee4 ,porter1 in translation of the ,bible1 #bih4 ,positiveness of speech1 ,oriental fondness for1 #aah1 #acb1 #ahc-hh4 ,prayer1 #ae2 the ,lord's1 #aif4 ,prayers of the ,scriptures1 due to persistence in petitioning1 #ahj4 ,praying on the housetop1 #bge-gi4 ,presentation of child at temple1 #cg4 ,prodigal son1 parable of the1 #adb1 #aeb1 #aee-fa1 #bjf1 #bjg4 ,pronunciation of the ,syrians1 #agf-gh4 ,protestantism1 #dji4 ,proverbs1 use of1 an ,oriental characteristic1 #adj2 and parables1 ,oriental makes no distinction between1 #adj4 ,psalms due to persistence in petitioning1 #ahj4 ,purification period1 #ch4 ,purse1 the1 #beb4 ,rada' 7cloak71 #aba1 #abb4 ,radha 7good pleasure71 #cce-ci4 ,rag trees1 #cgf4 ,rationalism1 modern1 #ai4 ,rebecca1 #bc1 #bf4 ,reclining at meals1 #bbd-cj4 ,refuge1 use of the term1 #bda1 #bdd4 ,religion1 gives life and beauty to culture1 #he2 the course of1 has been from the ,east to the ,west1 #dje4 ,religions1 the three greatest1 have originated in ,syria1 #hf4 ,remembrance1 #fc-fe4 ,reproduction1 attitude of ,eastern peoples toward1 #be1 #bf2 attitude of ,anglo-,saxons toward1 #bf4 ,retribution1 #acc-ci4 ,revenge1 idea of1 lies deep in ,oriental nature1 #ia4 ,rome1 #dje1 #djg4 ,roof4 ,see ,housetop4 ,st4 ,john's ,gospel1 the purpose of1 #cdc-de4 ,sacrament1 feasts and1 #ef-ga4 ,salt1 used at births1 in ,syria1 #bh2 bread and1 #aia-ie1 #bch4 ,salted1 #bh-cj4 ,salutation1 the ,oriental method of1 #bee-eh4 ,sarah1 #bf4 ,scribes and pharisees1 rebuke of1 #acb1 #acc4 ,scrip1 the1 #bej4 ,scriptures1 spring from soil whose life is active sympathy of religion1 #he4 ,scriptures1 the4 ,see ,bible4 ,sermon on the ,mount1 the1 #ig4 ,seventy times seven1 #acc-ci4 ,sheep1 lost1 parable of the1 #aeb1 #bjf-jh2 the killing of the1 #bca-cc2 the calling of1 by name1 #bii2 the return of1 at evening1 #cjj2 guided by the shepherd1 #cja1 #cjb2 the gathering of1 #cjc2 their trust in their shepherd1 #cjg4 ,sheepfolds1 #bie-ih4 ,shelter1 use of the term1 #bda1 #bdd4 ,shepherd1 solicitous watchfulness of1 #bif1 #big1 #bii2 his tent and dog1 #bih2 going before the flock1 #bii1 #cjj2 the guidance of1 #cja1 #cjb2 the good1 #cjd1 #cje2 carrying newly born lambs1 #cjf1 #cjg2 rescuing from wild beasts1 #cjg-ji4 ,shepherd life in ,syria1 #bie-cji4 ,shoes1 #bbh n41 #bib4 ,signs and wonders1 #aha4 ,sin1 origin of1 #ed4 ,sitting at meals1 #eh1 #bbd-cj4 ,sleeping1 on couches1 #bga2 on the housetop1 #bgb4 ,sleeplessness1 #chh1 #chi4 ,snow in ,syria1 #cfb1 #cfc4 ,sociability1 no business without1 #bfc4 ,sociableness of parabolic speech1 #adb4 ,solomon's ,song1 the realism of1 #ceb-ee4 ,sop1 the1 handed to ,judas1 #fh-gj4 ,sower1 the ,syrian1 #bhf-id4 ,sowing in ,syria1 #bhh1 #bhi4 ,speech1 ,oriental's1 his manner that of a worshipper1 #ha1 #ahe2 his daily1 #ha-ij2 imprecations1 #ij-ie2 intellectual inaccuracy of1 #ajh2 always illustrated1 #aae2 full of metaphor and exaggeration1 #aah-ci1 #cgb2 its positiveness1 #aah1 #acb1 #ahc-hh2 parabolic1 #adj-ff2 swearing1 #afg-gd2 the many and picturesque dialects of1 #age-gh2 habit of imploring1 #agh-ha2 its intimacy and unreserve1 #aha-hc4 ,spindle1 the ,syrian1 #cei-fa4 ,spinning in ,syria1 #ceh-fa4 ,spiritual visions1 little room for1 in modern life1 #df4 ,springs of water1 #bdh1 #bdi4 ,staff1 the ,syrian1 #bed4 ,star of ,bethlehem1 #ca1 #cf1 #cg1 #da4 ,star-gazers1 #cd1 #ce4 ,stars1 ,oriental attitude toward1 #ca1 #cb2 multitude likened to1 #cb1 #cc2 of persons1 #cc1 #cd2 belief that they are alive with ,god1 #cf4 ,stoves1 #bjj4 ,strain at a gnat and swallow a camel1 #acc ,streets1 #baj-ac4 ,superstitions1 #ah-bj4 ,swaddle1 the1 #bh1 #bi4 ,swearing1 #afg-gd4 ,see ,imprecations4 ,swineherds1 #aeg4 ,syria1 life in1 to-day1 the same as in the time of ,christ1 #e1 #f2 life of1 must be studied from the inside1 #h1 #aj1 #aa2 pilgrimages still common in1 #dg2 events on ,mount ,zion and in ,gethsemane illustrative of life in1 #ef-ga2 belief in regard to tares in wheat-field1 common in1 #adh2 hidden treasures in1 #afd1 #afe2 sitting and reclining at meals in1 #bbd-bf2 traveling in1 #bdg-eh2 the market-place in1 #bei-fh2 caravans in1 #bei1 #bfj2 drawing water in1 #bfa2 measuring grain in1 #bfe-fh2 the housetop in1 #bfi-gg2 the vineyard and the fig tree in1 #bhj-hb2 making wine in1 #bhb-hd2 agricultural life in1 #bhf-id2 shepherd life in1 #bie-cji2 status of woman in1 see ,oriental1 ,woman2 marriage in1 #cdh-ej2 the process of spinning in1 #cei-fa2 snow in1 #cfb1 #cfc2 grinding wheat in1 #djj-jc4 ,see ,oriental1 ,syrians4 ,syrian and ,american modes of thought1 contrast between1 #abf1 #abg4 ,syrian churches1 #djg1 #djh4 ,syrians1 attitude toward miracles1 #ba2 attitude toward conception and birth1 #bb2 customs of1 at birth1 #bh2 attitude of1 toward the stars1 #ca-cf2 their custom of kissing1 #gj2 life revolves around a religious center to1 #ha1 #hb2 their daily language is ,biblical1 #hg-ij2 have no secular language1 #hg2 mixture of piety and hatred characteristic of1 #id2 expect to be judged by what they mean1 not by what they say1 #aae2 love to speak in pictures1 #aae-ag2 their use of figurative language1 #aag2 their regard for leaven1 #aej2 the dialects of1 #age-gh2 hospitality of1 #bje-cj2 family feasts of1 #bca-ch2 their use of the words shelter1 house1 refuge1 #bda-de2 live for the most part out of doors1 #bda1 #bdb2 have no word for home1 #bdc2 lovers of their homes1 #bdc4 ,see ,oriental1 ,syria4 ,shad 7sleeplessness71 #chh1 #chi4 ,table appointments1 #bbb1 #cbj4 ,tares1 #adf-di4 ,tare-sickness1 #adg4 ,tennr1 for use in baking1 #bja4 ,tent1 the term1 #bdc4 ,thaub 7gown71 #aba4 ,theology1 the course of1 has been from the ,west to the ,east1 #dje4 ,theories about ,christ1 #daj4 ,thigh1 placing the hand under1 #cfg-fi4 ,thorns1 #bhi1 #bij4 ,threshing1 #bij1 #cgg-hj4 ,threshing-board1 #bij1 #cgg-hj4 ,tiles1 #bga4 ,timepieces in ,syria1 #bgg n4 ,touch1 divine power imparted by1 #cic-ie4 ,tourists1 books by1 #h1 #aj4 ,traitors1 #fg4 ,traveling1 in ,america1 #bdf2 in the ,east1 #bdg-eh4 ,treading1 the grapes1 #bhc1 #cgg2 the grain1 #bij1 #cgh4 ,treasure hid in a field1 parable of1 #afa-ff4 ,treating1 #fb4 ,unleavened bread1 #aej4 ,unrighteous judge1 parable of the1 #agi1 #ahj4 ,unveracity of the ,oriental1 #ajg-ad4 ,vengeance1 ,oriental idea of1 #ia4 ,vine1 and the fig tree1 the ,oriental's chief joys1 #bhj2 symbol of spiritual as well as physical family unity1 #bhj2 the church as a1 #bha2 the family as a1 #bha4 ,vineyard1 blessings for the increase of1 #be4 ,vows1 #af-ah1 #di4 ,wakefield1 ,mr41 quoted1 #afb4 ,wallet1 the1 #bej4 ,washing the feet1 #bbf-bh4 ,watching for the dawn1 #chg-hi4 ,wedding songs1 #bdg4 ,weddings1 #bba4 ,wheat1 measuring1 #bfe-fg2 plucking and eating1 #bia2 threshing1 #cgg-hj2 miraculous increase of1 #chd2 the grinding of1 #djj-jc4 ,wild beasts1 #cjg-ji4 ,wills1 #aee4 ,wine1 the method of making1 in the ,east1 #bhb-hd1 #cgg2 sweet and bitter1 #bhd4 ,wine cup1 the mystery of1 #bhj4 ,wine-drinking1 #ae1 #bcg4 ,wine press1 #bhb1 #bhc1 #cgg4 ,wise ,men1 the1 #bg1 #cg1 #dd4 ,wolves1 #cjg4 ,woman1 with child1 #bf2 ,east and ,west differ greatly in status of1 #cac1 #cad2 ,anglo-,saxon regard for1 #cac2 reputed ,occidental contempt for1 #cad1 #cae2 culture and privileges of the ,american1 #caf2 the ,oriental indifferent to fine points of behavior toward1 #caf1 #cag2 the ,oriental does not consider man superior to1 #cag-ai2 ,christian and ,mohammedan1 in ,syria1 #cah n41 #cca2 explanation of the ,oriental's attitude toward1 #cah1 #cai1 #cbb2 in home of cultivated ,syrian1 #cbc1 #cbd2 ,syrian attitude toward1 according to ,st4 ,paul1 #cbe-cc2 of ,syria1 not always submissive1 #cbi2 her social privileges in the ,east limited because of fear for her1 #ccj1 #cca1 #cdi2 a reason for veiling1 in the ,east1 #ccb2 modesty the chief charm of ,oriental1 #ccb2 why called hrmat1 #ccc2 the harem1 #ccc1 #ccd2 reason for man's precedence of1 in social affairs1 #ccd1 #cce2 her place is in the home1 #cdh2 classified with reference to virtue and its opposite1 #cea2 the ,oriental's descriptions of1 #cea-ee2 the virtuous1 description of1 #cee-fd4 ,woman1 as a term of address1 #cdj-de4 ,woman-stealing1 #ccj1 #cca4 ,wrestling in prayer1 #ab4 ,yusuf ,balua'1 #cje-ji4 ,zad1 #bdi-ea4 ,zeara1 the 7pilgrimage to a shrine71 #ab-ag1 #dg-dh4 ,zkreh 7remembrance71 #fc1 #fe4 ,the ,riverside ,press ,,cambridge 4 ,,massachusetts ,u4 ,s4 ,a4