or, as it is called in Hebrew, _Golgotha_, “a skull,” or “place
of skulls,” supposed to be thus denominated from the similitude it bore
to the figure of a skull or man’s head, or from its being a place of
burial. It was a small eminence or hill to the north of Mount Sion, and
to the west of old Jerusalem, upon which our Lord was crucified. The
ancient summit of Calvary has been much altered, by reducing its level
in some parts, and raising it in others, in order to bring it within the
area of a large and irregular building, called “The Church of the Holy
Sepulchre,” which now occupies its site. But in doing this, care has
been taken that none of the parts connected with the crucifixion should
suffer any alteration. The same building also encloses within its
spacious walls several other places reputed sacred. The places which
claim the chief attraction of the Christian visitant of this church, and
those only perhaps which can be relied on, are, the spot on which the
crucifixion took place, and the sepulchre in which our Lord was
afterward laid. The first has been preserved without mutilation: being a
piece of ground about ten yards square, in its original position; and so
high above the common floor of the church, that there are, according to
Chateaubriand, twenty-one steps to ascend up to it. Mr. Buckingham
describes the present mount as a rock, the summit of which is ascended
by a steep flight of eighteen or twenty steps from the common level of
the church, which is equal with that of the street without; and beside
this, there is a descent of thirty steps, from the level of the church,
into the chapel of St. Helena, and by eleven more to the place where the
cross was said to be found. On this little mount is shown the hole in
which the cross was fixed; and near it the position of the crosses of
the two thieves: one, the penitent, on the north; and the other on the
south. Here, also, is shown a cleft in the rock, said to have been
caused by the earthquake which happened at the crucifixion. The
sepulchre, distant, according to Mr. Jolliffe, forty-three yards from
the cross, presents rather a singular and unexpected appearance to a
stranger; who, for such a place, would naturally expect to find an
excavation in the ground, instead of which, he perceives it altogether
raised, as if artificially, above its level. The truth is, that in the
alterations which were made on Calvary, to bring all the principal
places within the projected church, the earth around the sepulchre was
dug away; so that, what was originally a cave in the earth has now the
appearance of a closet or grotto above ground. The sepulchre itself is
about six feet square and eight high. There is a solid block of the
stone left in excavating the rock, about two feet and a half from the
floor, and running along the whole of the inner side; on which the body
of our Lord is said to have been laid. This, as well as the rest of the
sepulchre, is now faced with marble: partly from the false taste which
prevailed in the early ages of Christianity, in disguising with profuse
and ill-suited embellishments the spots rendered memorable in the
history of its Founder; and partly, perhaps, to preserve it from the
depredations of the visitants. This description of the holy sepulchre
will but ill accord with the notions entertained by some English readers
of a grave; but a cave or grotto, thus excavated in rocky ground, on the
side of a hill, was the common receptacle for the dead among the eastern
nations. Such was the tomb of Christ; such that of Lazarus; and such are
the sepulchres still found in Judea and the east. It may be useful
farther to observe, that it was customary with Jews of property to
provide a sepulchre of this kind on their own ground, as the place of
their interment after death; and it appears that Calvary itself, or the
ground immediately around it, was occupied with gardens; one of which
belonged to Joseph of Arimathea, who had then recently caused a new
sepulchre to be made for himself. It was this sepulchre, so close at
hand, and so appropriate, which he resigned for the use of our Lord;
little thinking perhaps, at the time, how soon it would again be left
vacant for its original purpose by his glorious resurrection.
of skulls,” supposed to be thus denominated from the similitude it bore
to the figure of a skull or man’s head, or from its being a place of
burial. It was a small eminence or hill to the north of Mount Sion, and
to the west of old Jerusalem, upon which our Lord was crucified. The
ancient summit of Calvary has been much altered, by reducing its level
in some parts, and raising it in others, in order to bring it within the
area of a large and irregular building, called “The Church of the Holy
Sepulchre,” which now occupies its site. But in doing this, care has
been taken that none of the parts connected with the crucifixion should
suffer any alteration. The same building also encloses within its
spacious walls several other places reputed sacred. The places which
claim the chief attraction of the Christian visitant of this church, and
those only perhaps which can be relied on, are, the spot on which the
crucifixion took place, and the sepulchre in which our Lord was
afterward laid. The first has been preserved without mutilation: being a
piece of ground about ten yards square, in its original position; and so
high above the common floor of the church, that there are, according to
Chateaubriand, twenty-one steps to ascend up to it. Mr. Buckingham
describes the present mount as a rock, the summit of which is ascended
by a steep flight of eighteen or twenty steps from the common level of
the church, which is equal with that of the street without; and beside
this, there is a descent of thirty steps, from the level of the church,
into the chapel of St. Helena, and by eleven more to the place where the
cross was said to be found. On this little mount is shown the hole in
which the cross was fixed; and near it the position of the crosses of
the two thieves: one, the penitent, on the north; and the other on the
south. Here, also, is shown a cleft in the rock, said to have been
caused by the earthquake which happened at the crucifixion. The
sepulchre, distant, according to Mr. Jolliffe, forty-three yards from
the cross, presents rather a singular and unexpected appearance to a
stranger; who, for such a place, would naturally expect to find an
excavation in the ground, instead of which, he perceives it altogether
raised, as if artificially, above its level. The truth is, that in the
alterations which were made on Calvary, to bring all the principal
places within the projected church, the earth around the sepulchre was
dug away; so that, what was originally a cave in the earth has now the
appearance of a closet or grotto above ground. The sepulchre itself is
about six feet square and eight high. There is a solid block of the
stone left in excavating the rock, about two feet and a half from the
floor, and running along the whole of the inner side; on which the body
of our Lord is said to have been laid. This, as well as the rest of the
sepulchre, is now faced with marble: partly from the false taste which
prevailed in the early ages of Christianity, in disguising with profuse
and ill-suited embellishments the spots rendered memorable in the
history of its Founder; and partly, perhaps, to preserve it from the
depredations of the visitants. This description of the holy sepulchre
will but ill accord with the notions entertained by some English readers
of a grave; but a cave or grotto, thus excavated in rocky ground, on the
side of a hill, was the common receptacle for the dead among the eastern
nations. Such was the tomb of Christ; such that of Lazarus; and such are
the sepulchres still found in Judea and the east. It may be useful
farther to observe, that it was customary with Jews of property to
provide a sepulchre of this kind on their own ground, as the place of
their interment after death; and it appears that Calvary itself, or the
ground immediately around it, was occupied with gardens; one of which
belonged to Joseph of Arimathea, who had then recently caused a new
sepulchre to be made for himself. It was this sepulchre, so close at
hand, and so appropriate, which he resigned for the use of our Lord;
little thinking perhaps, at the time, how soon it would again be left
vacant for its original purpose by his glorious resurrection.