AN HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. CHAP. I. Of the Places of the Antediluvian World, mentioned in facred Hiftory; viz. the Garden of Eden, the Land of Nod, and the City of Enoch. As the facred Hiftory is very fhort in other particulars 1. tediluvian mentioned relating to the antediluvian world, (that is, to the state of The places the world before the Flood), fo is it in reference to its of the angeography; all the places thereof mentioned by Mofes world, being either the Garden of Eden, with fuch places as in facred belong to the description of its fituation, or else the land Hiftory. of Nod, and the city of Enoch built therein. I shall speak of each. : 2. tion of the To begin then with the Garden of Eden. As it was by far the most remarkable place of the antediluvian The fituaearth, fo its fituation is more fully and particularly fet Garden of down by Mofes, in thefe words; (Gen. ii. 8. and 10. to Eden defcribed by 14. inclufively.) And the Lord God planted a garden Mofes. eastward in Eden.—And a river went out of Eden to water VOL. I. B the PART I. the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the firft is Pifon: that is it which compaffeth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; and the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx-ftone. And the name of the fecond river is Gihon : the fame is it that compaffeth the whole land of Cufh. And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth before Affyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. 3. The word Eden im pofed as a proper name on feveral places, and why. 4. or rather by the Pro what, and where. From this account we learn, firft, in what country the terreftrial Paradife was fituated; namely, in the country of Eden. The word Eden in the Hebrew language, according to its primary and common acceptation, denotes pleafure or delight. Whence the fame word came, in a fecondary acceptation, to be imposed as a proper name on feveral places of a more than ordinarily pleasant and delightful fituation. Such was that spoken of by the Prophet Amos, i. 5. I The Eden, will break alfo the bar of Damafcus, and cut off the inhaBeth-Eden, bitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the mentioned Sceptre from the house of Eden: and the people of Syria phet Amos, fhall go into captivity unto Kir, faith the Lord. The Eden here mentioned was (as the learned Bishop of Soiffons, P. D. Huet, thinks) a valley fituated between the mountains of Libanus and Anti-libanus, and fo in that part of Syria, whereof Damafcus was the metropolis. This valley, adds he, deserved the name of Eden, or rather of Beth-Eden, that is to fay, house of pleasure, by reason of its fertility and pleasantnefs. This induced fome to believe, that the earthly Paradise flood here; and they were the more perfuaded of it, because they found in the neighbourhood a town called Paradife, mentioned by Pliny and Ptolemy a. They fought alfo here the place, where Adam was created, and that where Cain killed his brother Abel, and perfuaded themselves that they had found them here. To this account of Bp. Huet it may be Plin. lib. v. cap. 23. Ptolem. Afiæ Tab. 4. added, added, that this feems to be the place b Mr. Maundrell CHAP. 1. takes notice of, in his journey from Damascus towards Tripoli; where he tells us, that having travelled four hours and a half from Damafcus, he came to a fmall village called Sinie, juft by which is an ancient structure on the top of an high hill, fuppofed to be the tomb of Abel, who, as the fame Author tells us, is faid by fome to have been murdered by his brother in this place. The tomb is thirty yards long; and yet it is here believed to have been but juft proportioned to the ftature of him, who was buried in it. Here, adds Mr. Maundrell, we entered into a narrow gut, between two steep rocky mountains, the river Barrady running at the bottom. On the other fide of the river were feveral tall pillars, which excited our curiofity to go and take a nearer view of them. We found them part of the front of fome ancient and very magnificent edifice, but of what kind we could not conjecture. Now these two accounts of the two forementioned ingenious writers, being laid together, will, I think, afford great light for the right and clear understanding of the Eden, or rather Beth-Eden, mentioned in the forecited place of the Prophet Amos. For it is not unlikely, that this whole little valley, lying thus between two steep rocky mountains, and having the river Barrady running along the bottom of it, might formerly have the name of Eden given to it. But however this was, whether it had the very name of Eden, or no; it is not to be doubted, but it was esteemed a pleasant place, and that this was the inducement to build here the forementioned edifice, which, by reason of fuch its pleasant fituation, was called Beth-Eden. And, fince this edifice appears by its present ruins to have been fo very magnificent, it is most highly probable, that it was a royal structure, and no other than a pleasure-houfe (or Buon Retiro c) of the kings of Syria, being at the distance of four or b Journey from Aleppo to Jerufalem, p. 133. B 2 fo named. The King of Spain has a feat PART I. five hours riding from Damascus, the capital city of that ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ kingdom, and fo at a very convenient distance for fuch a 5. near Tripoli in Syria, called Eden. feat of pleasure or retirement. Hence the ruin of the king. of Syria is elegantly, as well as appofitely expreffed, by "God's cutting off him that holds the fceptre from BethEden, this being the place where the faid kings of Syria were wont chiefly to please and recreate themselves. But of this enough. Befides the Eden thus mentioned by the Prophet Amos, A village there is alfo a village called Eden near Tripoli in Syria, on the mount Libanus, where fome likewife have placed the earthly Paradife. This village is also taken notice of by Mr. Maundrell, who tells us, that having gone for three hours cross the plains of Tripoli, he arrived at the foot of Libanus; and from thence continually afcending, not without great fatigue, came in four hours and an half to a small village called Eden, and in two hours and an half more to the Cedars. 6. Several places call the He Further, it is not to be questioned, but from the Hebrew word Eden has been derived the word Adena, or ed Adena, Adana, which we find in Greek and Latin authors, given or Adana, as a proper name to feveral towns. There was a town a word probably de- in Cilicia of this name, pleasantly fituated in a fruitful rived from foil. There is alfo a famous port in Arabia, on the brew Eden. entrance of the Red Sea, called Adena or Aden; which (to ufe Bishop Huet's expreffion) for having been the most delightful place of a very delightful country, I mean, of Arabia Felix, has been called itself Arabia Felix, as comprehending in it all the beauties of that country. And befides this Adena, there was another in the middle of the fame country, bearing the fame name with the firft, for the fame reafon. Whence it is no wonder, that the Arabians inhabiting that province, believed that Paradife was amongst them. The inftances already brought are fufficient to fhew, The marks that the word Eden was impofed as a proper name on Mofes dif- feveral places. And it is certain, that none of the foretinguishes mentioned places was the Eden, wherein the earthly whereby Paradife |